


Beyond the Depths of Truth

by Calypphire



Series: Beyond Series [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2003)
Genre: Crossover, M/M, Male Slash, Manipulative Albus Dumbledore, Mpreg, Other, Pregnant Severus Snape
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-11
Updated: 2019-05-12
Packaged: 2020-03-01 05:29:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 20
Words: 67,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18793951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Calypphire/pseuds/Calypphire
Summary: When Splinter finds a pair of twins in a dumpster, questions arise. When Severus Snape and Remus Lupin discover their girls are missing, panic sets in. Two different, yet eerily the same worlds, meet and form an alliance they didn't think possible. Especially with a threat that could really harm many arises... Contains Slash and MPreg. SS/RL





	1. Found

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there, this is my first time in posting on this site, so please bear with me as I figure how this works.  
> This is a story I wrote not too long ago and via some help of a friend guided me to here to I have another platform to show my work, and perhaps grow more into writing better - which I guess is what many like to achieve when writing or other fields of interest.
> 
> I do hope you enjoy this fiction.  
> It leans more into Harry Potter territory, focusing mostly on Remus Lupin and Severus Snape, with pop ups of Splinter and his Turtles. The following story, which I am currently working on right now, is an attempt to give the two fandoms even footing. The TMNT world is loosely focused on the 2003 world, but the there isn't a solid time/year. Meaning Harry Potter world is bought forward in time to suit the fiction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Author’s Note: Naturally we all know that I have no ownership whatsoever of Harry Potter and his fellow wizarding mates, or of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Original characters are mine._
> 
> **Warning: This story contains slash and mpreg content, as well as swearing, violence and themes. If this is going to make you uncomfortable, please move on, for you have been warned. Also this is clearly alternate universe with certain changes to certain characters that fit the tale ahead, but keeping as in character as well. Rated Explicit to be on safe side.**

 

Chapter One  
Found

 

Rain was bucketing down the city and Splinter was doing his very best to find anything that would serve a purpose in ensuring his young sons were cared for. He didn’t do too bad, managing to find a number of items, be in food or other, but it still didn’t seem to be enough.  
Then he heard it. At first he wasn’t sure what it was and was prepared to ignore it, believing it was something else. Yet, as he was about to turn away and head away, the same sound came, only it appeared to have multiplied. With his keen ears he carefully followed the trail along the alleyway he was in, until he came upon a dumpster, where the sounds were now much clearer.  
Opening the lid, Splinter nearly dropped it out of shock to the discovery; lying in soggy blankets, shivering and crying were a pair of very, very small babies. Not even questioning on his next actions, the Mutant Rat quickly scoops up the precious little beings and tucked them against his warm fur and kimono and hurried to get them to his home underground.  
Once there, he didn’t waste time in doing what he could to warm these infants up, whilst also doing his best to not disturb his four sleeping sons. Discarding the wet blankets for fresh clean ones, ensuring they were nice and thick. He also took notice that these babies were completely naked, (and that they were both female as a result), so he made the point of making some sort of makeshift cloth nappies, before wrapping them both firmly into the blankets. These actions, in themselves, helped the babies to soften their cries, when they felt themselves warming up.  
Splinter had to really think on what was safe for them to have to fill their tiny tummies. He checked the fridge and saw a quarter full carton of goat’s milk, of all the luck, to find. Knowing he couldn’t think of anything else that seemed remotely suitable, he snatched it out, grabbed a small cup – sterilised it as best as he could, warmed just enough of the milk up to the best of what he had, (putting the rest back in the fridge for later), selected small spoons of which he thought would be suitable for use and quickly made his way back to the babies, which he left in makeshift bed – which he made out of a large shallow laundry basket and enough blankets.  
With just as gentle care, he made sure each baby got their fill of the goat milk. Though it didn’t stop him from worrying and hoping that he wasn’t accidentally harming them by making sure they were looked after.  
With some satisfaction, but no trace of his worry going, Splinter contently placed the now sleeping babies in their laundry basket crib. He made a quick check in with his four sons, all of them still very much asleep in their beds; he noticed that Michelangelo, the youngest, had crawled in with the eldest Leonardo. Not wanting to disturb them, the father rat went back to where the babies were and got comfortable on the couch.

###

“They can’t have just disappeared!” Severus Snape strained; his voice frantic.  
“Don’t you think I don’t know that?” says Remus Lupin, just as anxious. “They were in their beds, you saw them yourself, Severus! I don’t know what happened!”  
The two men were on their way the one person they thought might be able to help. Severus stopped and turned face Remus, who was not too far behind.  
“How could you not know? They were in the safe house! Which was provided to us, to make sure they, we, were kept from being exposed to those who would love to get their hands on them and potentially kill us to ensure we didn’t get in their way?”  
Remus gapped at the other man for a moment. “You honestly believe that after every precaution that we have made to ensure our daughters are safe that I wouldn’t keep doing that? I was checking on our girls for every thirty minutes for heaven sake!”  
“Yeah... and then you fell asleep!”  
“That’s not fair, Severus, and you know it!”  
Severus knew that it wasn’t fair to have said that to Remus, but he was deeply afraid right now and couldn’t help it. Remus knew, but it didn’t stop him from being stung.  
They finally reached the house they intended to get to and banged on the door.  
Within moments the door was opened and Albus Dumbledore stood before the two men, with his elegant robes of midnight blue and long silvery beard.  
“Severus? Remus? What on earth brings you hear at this time of night?”  
“We need your help!” Remus says; urgency in his tone.  
“Our daughters have been kidnapped!” Severus didn’t waste time.  
“Kidnapped?” Dumbledore frowns slightly. “Are you sure?”  
Severus explains; “I came home after finishing the assignment you wanted me to do, and when I went to check on them, they weren’t in their room. I checked to see if Remus had them, but he was fast asleep.”  
“Did you hear anyone coming in?” Dumbledore asks.  
Remus glumly shook his head. “I am afraid not.”  
Seeing the desperation on their faces, Dumbledore stepped back and told them to come in.  
“We will find your daughters,” he assures.

###

Splinter woke up to see that his sons had all woken up and made their way into the living area, where he had chosen to stay, to be close to the babies. His sleep wasn’t deep, but enough to feel somewhat rested, especially when the babies stirred on and off, wanting to be cared for.  
He was grateful that his four turtles decided to stay quiet, but he wasn’t sure just how long they were up for.  
“Good morning my sons,” he says lightly, blinking a few times until he was sure to have his eyes as open as he could get them.  
“What are they?” Raphael asks, pointing at the babies.  
“They are babies,” Splinter says, with a small smile.  
“Where did they come from?” asked Leonardo.  
“I found them while I was out looking for supplies and I had to help them,” said Splinter.  
“Where are their daddy?” this was Michelangelo.  
“Or mommy?” Donatello says.  
Splinter shakes his head. “I am uncertain on what has happened to have me find these two, but I knew I had to make sure they were safe.”  
The babies themselves were sleeping rather peacefully; one of them was sucking on her fist, while the other just had her hands up over her tiny face. Now that there was a little more light – their Lair seemed to have a natural skylight of sorts in varying areas, (but made so that rain didn’t come in and ruin the place) – Splinter was able to have a slightly better look at the pair.  
They had fair skin, but he couldn’t help but notice that there were some faint markings in varying areas about their bodies, such as their temples and elbows. He didn’t notice them at first, but then he was too concerned to ensure they weren’t going to die to really see anything of clear interest. The markings didn’t appear to be bruising, if anything, they looked almost like birthmarks... or scales...?  
Every feature the babies had was identical, from the same darkish blonde coloured hair, the same noses that each had a small hook-shape in their bridges, interesting on how it seemed to really suit them. Splinter knew that there just had to be a way to tell them apart, but for now, he had other matters to attend to, such as sorting out breakfast for his sons and then figuring out what is was to do about the two babies.  
In his mind, he wanted to take them to the nearest hospital or fire station drop off, but his gut was telling him not to, as if there was some instinct trying to explain that these girls would be better off with him and his turtles. He still also had to finish the supply run he had to cut short. So much to do, so much to think, but right now, all he could do for now was simply go to the kitchen and cook up some rolled oats to give to his four boys.

###

“I may have a lead,” Dumbledore announces, walking into the house Severus and Remus occupied together; the very same house that was meant to be a safe haven until recently.  
“Really? You found our girls?” Remus asked eagerly.  
“Where are they?”  
Dumbledore held up a hand, a signal to tell the young men to calm. “I’ve been told they were taken to New York in the United States.”  
“New York!?” cried the men in shock.  
“How?”  
“Who?”  
Again the older wizard placed his hand up.  
“As you already know when you came to me with the news of your missing daughters, I don’t know who took them, or even why! Let alone how! Only that I did remind you over and over on the risk it would be to have them in the first place, and that there are those who would sort opportunity to steal them,” Dumbledore’s tone giving a sort of firmness. “I have only been given a location of where they are, and if you are willing, I would gladly give the exact map on where they are likely to be. I would lead you there myself, if you wish.”  
Not even questioning on how their old Headmaster even got the information, Severus and Remus were just eager to get to their children.

###

“Why are we in an alleyway?” Remus questions, frowning at Dumbledore.  
Dumbledore returns the younger man’s concerning face with a sort of comforting face.  
“It’s just where I was told we may find them,” he simply says.  
Severus was already looking around the place. Puddles of last night’s rain were still pooled in varying areas and the stench that was coming from the dumpster – which was completely full and near overflowing - didn’t help.  
“In an alleyway?” Remus didn’t retreat from his frown.  
“You mean to say that whoever took them, exchanged them to someone else in this alley?” Severus decides to ask, clearly unsure on what else to go on right now.  
Dumbledore shifts for a moment, about to answer the fully black wearing wizard, but was interrupted by the sound of something that was very, very familiar to the young man, as well as the other.  
“That sounds like...” Remus goes to say.  
“Freya!” Severus finishes looking about for the location of the cry.  
“Are you sure?” Dumbledore asks; neither Severus, nor Remus, noticed the change in expression on the old man.  
“Positive!”  
“But I don’t hear anything,” says Dumbledore, shaking his head a little. “Perhaps it’s some other baby; we are in a busy city after all.”  
“Maybe...” said Severus, rather doubtfully.  
“Are you sure this is where they were taken to?” Remus pressed.  
“It is what I was told, Remus. Someone saw someone rather suspicious around the area and when their back was turned, the babies were gone,” Dumbledore tells the two worried fathers.  
“That is something you left out,” said Severus.  
“Left what out?”  
“The part about someone taking our daughters from whoever saw them and however they ended up here.”  
“I must have forgotten,” said Dumbledore.  
“How can you forget?” Remus asked.  
The cries happened again, this time it was closer.  
“Now that is definitely Freya!” Remus exclaims.  
“Sounds like Athena as well,” Severus adds, noting a second, but slightly softer, cry.  
They sounded as though they were being echoed.  
Just then, not far from where the men were standing, they heard a scraping sound. Turning, they see a manhole cover being pushed up and aside. Then, catching virtually everyone by surprise, a great big rat’s head and torso, with one of his hands on the ground around the manhole, pops straight on up.  
Splinter was, unsurprisingly, alarmed when he saw three wands pointed at him.  
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you!” he dares to speak. Normally he would be popping straight back down and hurrying away, but somehow this seemed different, so he took the risk of more exposure, and fully stepped out of the hole in the ground, levelling with the three strangers before him.  
“And why wouldn’t we?” Dumbledore asks.  
Cries were then heard once again. It was upon this, when Severus and Remus saw the makeshift baby carrier secured to the five foot tall rat’s chest.  
“You’re the one who stole our children?” Severus suddenly accused.  
Splinter frowns deeply; “I abhor to kidnapping of innocent children. No, I found them in that dumpster shivering and starving.” He points to the overflowing dumpster. “I do not know how these angel girls came to be in there, but I know my morals and wasn’t about to allow them to suffer, unlike the akuma who just left them there.”  
This surprised both Remus and Severus, mixed with their emotions upon hearing this.  
“You... you looked after them? Our daughters?” Remus wanted to be sure he heard right.  
“Yes,” said Splinter. “I returned here, to see if I could find any clues as to who or how these two got in the predicament, knowing they wouldn’t have done it on their own. Convenient how I find you three gentlemen here when I do arrive.”  
“Are you accusing us of doing this to our own daughters?” Severus spat. “We find they are taken from their beds, led here by a tip off our friend here learns about, and then you accuse us -?”  
“Where in my words have I blamed you for your children winding up here?” Splinter returns, though a little perplexed to hear two of the gentlemen both laying claim to the two babies, but decided to not go into it and deciding right then and there that it didn’t even matter, he could hear the very tones true parents would often express in such situations as this one; no doubt he, himself, would be of similar sorts if any of his four young ones were in trouble.  
Severus stopped before he could answer, because he then thought over what had been said in that short space of time. He then takes a deep breath, trying to calm himself.  
“I am sorry, this experience has just taken us out of our depths,” he then says, sincerely.  
“May we have our daughters back?” Remus then asks.  
Splinter doesn’t hesitate on this request. His heart warmed a little when he saw the two men take their two daughters and held them firmly against their chests, make shift blankets and all.  
“It seems very lucky that you came when you did... er... what is your name?” Dumbledore then decides to speak after being quiet for a while, observing the scene before him.  
“Splinter,” said Splinter, twitching his tail a little. “I don’t know if luck had anything to do with it. I, myself, am a father, and was simply trying to find supplies to feed my own children, it was chance that I was here last night, especially when it was raining for most of the night.”  
“You have children?” Dumbledore says.  
It seemed almost too simultaneous when the old man said it, because at that moment, a toddler sized turtle, wearing an orange bandanna came up from the manhole.  
“Splinter! Raph won’t let me have a turn of the skateboard!”  
“It’s still my turn, Mikey!” a voice calls up rather loudly.  
Mikey looks back down the hole he was halfway out of; “You had it for ages!”  
“Have not!”  
Remus had to do his best to suppress a laugh just then.  
“I think that answers your question, Albus,” said Severus, surprised by his own amusement by what he was seeing in front of him.  
Dumbledore didn’t betray anything by withholding all emotion.  
“Again, it was a good thing that you were there to help the infants,” he simply said.  
“Indeed,” said Splinter, studying this older man a little. “But as much as I would like to stay around and talk more, I have obligations to attend to. Plus I believe you would like to take your young ones home.”  
“Thank you, Splinter,” said Remus.  
Splinter simply nods and turns to retreat down the manhole, where his young son was still located and seeming to be observing these strangers.  
“I still would like to know their names!” Michelangelo then says. “Splinter named them Asami and Kazumi because we didn’t know what else to name them.”  
“Yeah, because it was way better than Sprite and Pixie,” spoke a voice, which belonged to another toddler sized turtle wearing purple. “That is what you wanted to name them, Michelangelo!”  
“You wanted to go with Arsenic and Mercury, Donatello!” Michelangelo fired back.  
“Hey! You actually said those two words right!” Donatello grinned.  
“I did?” Michelangelo replied.  
Donatello nods. “Yep!”  
Glee was written on the young orange wearing turtle’s face.  
Splinter places a hand to his face.  
“Asami and Kazumi?” Severus decides to intervene to save Splinter any further grief from the two young boys.  
“Japanese names, from where I am originally from,” Splinter explains.  
“What do they mean?”  
“Asami means morning beauty, and Kazumi means harmonious beauty.”  
“Asami is the one you’re holding,” Michelangelo says to Remus.  
“Her actual name, since you asked, is Freya,” said Remus, “and this is Athena,” indicating to the baby Severus was holding.  
“Nice names,” Donatello comments.  
“Now that you have your answers, it is now time for us to go,” said Splinter to his two sons.  
“But will we get to see Freya and Athena again?” Michelangelo blurts, looking from his father to Severus, Remus and Dumbledore, sounding as though he didn’t want them to go.  
Remus and Severus looked at each other, looking as though they were locked in some sort of mental conversation.  
“I don’t think that is wise,” said Dumbledore. “These girls are way too special to be around just anyone.”  
“That is not your decision to make our behalf, Albus,” Severus speaks in a stern tone.  
Remus addresses the now four Turtles; Leonardo and Raphael got tired of waiting down below and decided they wanted to see what their brothers were seeing, too. “Tell you what, for now we will take them home to England with us, where they belong. We can set up a way so you can keep in contact and when they are a little older you might be able to see them? If that is permitted by your father.”  
“Please Master Splinter!”  
Splinter could see how keen these children were. He was determined to keep his children safe and hidden, but this placed him a position he hadn’t counted on before. While he still didn’t understand how the babies got to where they did, but it did lead to now, and his gut was telling him that they were okay... well most of them, he still wasn’t too sure about the older man who was with them.  
“I believe such an arrangement can be made,” he then decides to say.  
After a few quick exchanges of goodbyes, Splinter herded his sons down the manhole to head home to their underground him, while Remus and Severus eagerly went to get their daughters home, with Dumbledore slowly following behind them.


	2. Letters

Chapter Two  
Letters

 

Glad to get their daughters home, Remus and Severus didn’t waste time in ensuring that they were both properly clothed and had nice full bellies and nestled closely near them, not wanting to let them out of their sights.  
“I still don’t understand how all this could have happened,” Remus comments. “I wish I knew who came into our home in the first place. If only I hadn’t of fallen asleep!”  
He chose to not look at Severus, instead focused his sights on the large bassinette, where the two girls were safely tucked in next to each other.  
Severus didn’t know whether to sigh or roll his eyes or mildly kick himself.  
“This isn’t your fault, Remus,” he decides to say to the man he helped in creating the twins with. “I know it isn’t, if I could take back the words, I would.”  
Remus gives a small nod to acknowledge the words from Severus, and choosing to not dwell. “Though I would like to know who informed Albus of where we’d be able to find them in the first place.”  
Severus agrees; “I would like to know that information, too, but we know how Dumbledore tends to only give us enough to what he believes we need to go on. I am just grateful to know that our daughters were found when they were in the circumstance they were in and kept them safe.”  
Remus nods again, before looking over at Severus, who was seat in a comfortable armchair near the fireplace, head resting softly against fingers of one hand, elbow of the same arm on the material arm.  
“You know we ought to really thank Splinter for what he has done,” he says.  
Severus knew Remus to be right on this, just didn’t say it. He didn’t have to; Remus knew Severus was agreeing with him.  
“How do you propose we do that?” Severus then asks after a moment of silence, save for the slight gurgle like sound coming from one of the twins as she shifted a little, then settles back into her slumber.  
Remus thought for a good while before providing an answer. “Well, he’s got children of his own, I doubt he’s able to find employment because of him being a mutant rat, and there is no beating about the bush when the truth is plain to see on that, even if we don’t know the circumstances of how he and his children came to be that way, the obvious is the same. Perhaps providing at least a hamper or something, to help ease some of the burden, even for just a little while.”  
Again silence arose. Severus looks at their two daughters, going over the events that have happened in the last number of recent hours, and still in his heart was just thankful to know that they were, thank Merlin, safe and sound. All because of the actions of one sole mutant rat who had the decency even some humans seemed to lack. He also couldn’t deny that he felt a little sorry for the way they were clearly living.  
‘In a sewer of all places,’ he thought to himself. “All right,” he then says aloud, looking at Remus; “We will write out a list of ideas on what we can get, food, items, whatever else, and then take it from there.”  
A hint of a smile etches on Remus’s lips.

###

Splinter didn’t realise how exhausted he had been until he settled on to his old mattress with old sheets, in order to settle for the night. His four sons were extra helpful, well as helpful as they could muster, in looking for the rest of what they needed and tidying up the Lair, even ate their pitiful dinner without complaint.  
With a soft sigh, he lies on his side and closes his eyes...  
It was ever a surprise to wake up the next morning to find two handsome looking barn owls perched on the small upside down box that acted as a bedside table, holding a rather weighted bundle in their beaks; attached was a rolled up parchment with a seal.  
Gently, Splinter took the bundle (and parchment); the owls stayed where they were, as Splinter opened up the scroll and read the neat handwriting that was in pearly black ink;

_To thank you for your kindness and help toward our daughters, Freya and Athena. (There is a list of the items we placed in with the bundle and the owls have been instructed to stay, the reason is alongside the list within). Thank you again, Severus Snape and Remus Lupin_

After reading the words carefully, then looking at the magnificent light green and pale yellow velvet bundle, Splinter could feel his heart lighten a little, and a smile beginning. He decided to take this bundle to the living area, where two of his turtles were seated, eating whatever was left of the slightly bruised apples they had left.  
“Are your brothers still asleep?” he asks them.  
“Yes, Master Splinter,” said Leonardo.  
“What is that, Sensei?” asks Raphael, seeing the bundle.  
“A thank you gift from the fathers of the two girls we helped,” Splinter replied. He already summed up that is what they were, (though still very unsure of what relevance the third man who was with them had), and given he didn’t know the details of how it was even possible; he decided to not dwell or concern himself. Instead just looked at the positive of knowing two babies are safe and loved.  
“We can go and wake Mikey and Donny if you need us to?” Leonardo offered, jumping up from the sofa, Raphael followed suit.  
“Just don’t be too rough,” Splinter sternly told them, more to Raphael, than to Leonardo.  
He watched them make their way out of the area, before sitting on the couch they had just gotten off of. Moments later all four turtles were now entering the living area, Donatello and Michelangelo rubbing their eyes and yawning.  
“Leo says you wanted us?” said Donatello.  
“That is correct,” said Splinter. He had set the bundle on the small table. “The parents of the two girls wanted to thank us again for helping Freya and Athena. They sent us this bundle with two owls.”  
“Owls?” one of the turtles echoed with surprise and awe.  
Splinter nods. “They are still here, in my sleeping area. No, I forbid you to go and see for yourselves at this moment!” Spying two of them looking as though they were about to hurry out of the area, so hearing the prompted ‘no’ caused them to stay put.  
“May we see what is in the bag?” Michelangelo asks; eager to see what was in it.  
With that, Splinter untied the bundle and let the opening part open, making it look like a sack. The first thing he pulled out was two folded parchments, one was the list and the other the second letter mentioned in the first smaller letter.  
He read the note which explained that the owls were specially tasked and assigned to allow Splinter and his sons to send letters if they wished to Freya and Athena - ‘As a way for us to make good on our word to allow the contact to continue if you are comfortable to do so. All you need to do is give them names of your choosing, and they will know the rest’ - was part of the letter.  
“We have our own owls?” cried Michelangelo with excitement.  
“That is cool!” Raphael exclaims.  
“Can we name one of them Rhodium?” Donatello asks.  
“Or Sora?” says Leonardo; “Which means sky.”  
The Father Rat holds up his hand and speaks firmly and kindly; “I know what Sora means, Leonardo, and I don’t know if Rhodium is a good name for an owl, Donatello. I do not know if we are going to keep them, I would like to really think one this before its final. However, while I am in the process of thinking this through, there is nothing stopping us from seeing what we have been given.”  
The surprised, yet pleased, expression said it all when the items were revealed. Fresh fruit, including apples, bananas, strawberries and pears; fresh carrots, celery and tomatoes; bread, milk – even a litre of chocolate milk ( _‘for the boys, if this is permitted for them’_ ) and various snack foods, spreads and cereals. This was not all ‘each of the boys are given their own new colour-in books, with colour pencils and crayons and a new blanket and pillow, including pillow case’.  
Seeing the four perfectly clean blankets, each one in the colour to match up to the bandanna of the new owner they were meant to go to, and each one bearing its own animal.  
“Oh sweet, I get a dragon on mine!” Raphael grinned.  
Splinter had not been forgotten, he, too, got a lush new blanket and pillow, and brand new mug that had packets of tea and coffee resting inside, ‘in case you do like your tea or coffee’. The gesture certainly put a bigger smile on the rat’s face.  
He also made sure he didn’t miss anything from either of the letters or the list, and glad he did relook them over, because he nearly missed a little note right at the bottom of one of the parchments...

###

_Dear Remus Lupin and Severus Snape,_  
_My sons and I are very grateful for your generosity and thank you kindly. I have accepted the proposal of keeping in contact, naming the two owls Blade and Charm, (Leonardo and Raphael naming Blade, while Donatello and Michelangelo agreeing on Charm for the other). I also know my sons have asked if the girls are doing well. I, too, have wondered._ _I have also seen the ‘hidden’ messaging within the notes and the clues. I am going to be honest with you. I may not know how special Athena and Freya are, or the details, obviously, but I do sense that someone you know isn’t to be trusted. I am unsure if you may have figured that out or not – but I saw something that didn’t match with either of your handwritings, after seeing that you’ve each written a letter each, so finding a few extra different styles that, I assume, are meant to have gone unnoticed or were meant to be seen, I don’t know. I have added what I am trying to explain with this letter._  
_My sons have also decided to add a colour-in page each from their new books to give to Freya and Athena to decorate their room, so I have been told._  
_Sincerely, Splinter._

Severus and Remus each looked at the extra contents that were added to Splinter’s letter; the drawings from the Turtles and the different handwritings on the parchments that had contained the letter and list.

_The daughters of Severus Snape and Remus Lupin were not for you to collect. They were meant for someone else. Now we will have to find some other way to make sure they are given to the intended parties ... and they would be just as interested to know about you and your... sons? If that is really what you call them._

_Are you really going to accept the true story of their existence?_

_Do you really want to risk the lives of your sons if you choose to continue the contact with Snape and Lupin?_

_We strongly recommend that you keep a closer eye on those girls of yours, Severin and Roman._

It was reading the very last sentence that caused Severus to drop the parchment, paling as he did so.  
“Severus, look at me!” Remus said, getting the other man to look directly at him. “We are no longer in that place! We are here! Safe! At least Splinter told us where he didn’t have to do any of that.”  
“Yet whoever took our girls wants them there!” Severus cried out.  
Remus stayed as calm as he could muster, for he too, could feel his insides burning with fear. “I read that too, you know. Each and every one of those sentences. I would love to know who is out to get our girls! Other than the obvious with the last line that was clearly intended for us to read. But we are not going to end up back there!”  
“You hadn’t told your friends have you?” Severus then questioned.  
“Severus, the entire Order knows,” Remus said with a slow sigh.  
Severus glowered.  
“Albus Dumbledore believed that it was for the best to ensure everyone knew that our daughters do exist.” Remus explains carefully, who wasn’t happy either.  
“Yes, because everyone really, really needs to know!” Severus seethed a little.  
“You know full well that this was done after we specifically asked to not be exposed. His word of explanation of going against our request was belief that the more people on our side who knew of this, the more people would be willing to accept,” Remus defended.  
Severus wanted to say a retort, but couldn’t. Instead drew his eyes back to the parchment on the floor.  
“What do we do now?” he asks.  
Remus shakes his head. “I wish I could provide an answer Severus. Other than the obvious, we do what we can to make sure they, we, never end up back there.”  
“Do you think we ought to really warn Splinter?” Severus then decides to suggest, after a small deep in thought moment. “As much of a prick we know I can be, we both know that I do give a crap on what happens to nice people... which I guess includes mutants.”  
“I think if we are going to write to Splinter it would be in a way that ensures that no one intercepts it,” Remus agrees to this.  
Upon this, they were interrupted by the stirrings of one of their twins.  
“I believe that it is my turn,” Severus says without hesitation. “You can start on what we can try and say to Splinter.”

###

“You really did say you were going to come!” spoke a very excited Michelangelo, dropping his pencil by accident when he saw Splinter opening and then allowing Remus and Severus, (carrying their two girls, of course), into their home.  
“We are not in the habit of breaking our word,” said Remus, with a kind smile.  
Though the two men were surprised by the living conditions of Splinter and his sons, they could just as understand as to why things had to be a certain way.  
“We also would like to really thank you for the food!” said Leonardo, smiling politely. “The rolled oats Master Splinter cooked for us was super nice.”  
“And the strawberries, too!” said Raphael.  
“The blankets are also nice and comfortable, as well,” Donatello says, looking up from the book he was reading, on his section on the floor.  
“You are most welcome,” said Remus, while Severus simply observed the entire area.  
“May I offer you a drink?” Splinter offers politely.  
“Not at this moment, thank you,” Severus says.  
“Water would be just fine,” was Remus’s reply.  
Splinter goes to the kitchen area after offering them men to sit if they would like. Severus chooses one of the three nearly worn for wear armchairs, where he could just feel a spring or two, Michelangelo approaches with caution and interest.  
“How is... er... Freya doing?” the young turtle asks, looking at the baby who was wide awake and looking about the place.  
“This one is Athena, and she is good,” said Severus, keeping an even tone. “Freya is doing just as well.”  
“That is good,” said Michelangelo.  
“Yeah, we were trying to help Splinter make sure they didn’t get too cold. He was also very worried about those cuts they have on their sides, wasn’t sure how to heal them, so he had to just make sure they were comfortable until there was a way to make sure they went to whoever they could go to,” Leonardo pipes up.  
“Thing is those cuts didn’t look like cuts, they looked like gills,” said Donatello frowning. “Which is impossible, because normal humans don’t have gills?”  
Severus and Remus looked at each other when this was revealed by this young turtle in purple. Splinter had entered with a tray will glasses and cups of drinks at this point.  
“What Leonardo has said is true. We saw what we believed were cuts, as the girls were completely naked when I found them and when the light of the day came, it allowed for me to examine them just a little better, to see if they were ill or really hurt,” the Mutant Rat explains with careful wording, a little worried about causing Remus and Severus to be upset.  
On the contrary, the two fathers could understand why this would have caused confusion and deep worry for Splinter.  
“They’re not cuts,” said Remus, not seeing the point in withholding, not with the simple fact they are talking to a giant human sized rat, with four toddler sized children turtles. “They are, as... what is your name again?”  
“Donatello,” said Donatello.  
“Donatello said just earlier, they are in fact gills,” said Remus.  
Splinter had placed the tray on the coffee table, so this allowed him to look up at Remus, and then look over at Severus, who was nodding to back what had been said.  
“But... they’re human!” said Donatello, confused. “You’re also human, too... though I am confused as to where their mother is, because in most species girls have the babies.”  
“Does it matter, Donny? Freya and Athena are loved, just like Splinter loves us,” said Michelangelo, looking at his brother as he said this, before looking back at the baby Athena still nestled in Severus’s arms.  
Donatello shakes his head.  
“How old are you?” Severus decides to ask.  
“We’re all four,” said Leonardo.  
“How did they get their gills?” Raphael asks.  
“They were born with them,” said Remus.  
“Can they breathe underwater like fish?” the turtle in red couldn’t help asking.  
Splinter notices a shift of discomfort coming from Severus, and had a feeling it wasn’t from the seat, either.  
“We believe they can, but we’re not going to test that out right now,” Remus replies, also sensing the other father’s discomfort. “We just know that they’re comfortable around or in water.”  
Accepting this answer, Raphael goes back to his blocks.  
“May I have a hold, please?” Michelangelo asks. “I’ll be really careful!”  
Remus and Severus look at each other.  
“Michelangelo’s always had a deep affection toward the young, to the point of begging me to help him feed a stray kitten that wandered into our home not too long ago. He’s never been rough, except when it is toward his own brothers, which I can assume is simply a sibling thing,” said Splinter.  
“Hey, we all helped with that kitten!” Raphael called out.  
“What happened to the kitten?” Remus asks, looking around expecting to see a little feline bounding about.  
“We don’t know, it only stayed for a few days, and then it left,” said Leonardo. “But it really liked Mikey, letting him have a hold and made sure it wasn’t hurt.”  
As if convinced enough by this Michelangelo was instructed to sit down and within a few moments, with Remus not leaving his kneeling position on the floor, was holding a sleeping Freya in his arms.  
“Hello Freya,” he cooed. “I was going to call you Sprite, but Splinter said Asami was a better choice.”  
“Still heaps better than naming them after poison!” said Raphael, when he learned a little more about arsenic and fluorine were when he asked Donatello about it not long after the twins had gone home.  
“I thought that it would show that they’re not to be messed with,” Donatello shrugs.  
“Sounds like a fair justification,” said Severus, though with a hint of sarcasm was laced with amusement.  
Athena started to make noises of needing attention.  
“Would it be alright if we used your stove or whatever you use to heat up?” Severus politely asks, retrieving a baby bottle from the bag he had with him.  
Splinter didn’t object and showed him where to go.  
“It is time for me to sort the Turtles their lunch, anyway.”  
There was a quiet understanding between the three, as much as certain exchange of information was needed to be transpired, it had to wait until it was sure the Turtles weren’t to be listening in. It just wasn’t for their innocent ears yet.


	3. Changes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _**This chapter is a more of flashback, with a hint of breaks where it is clearly a conversation between Splinter, Severus and Remus, trying to be as tasteful as possible in those section, for they are also trying to warn of what these people are like to the father rat, in case they were to have the misfortune of being in their clutches.** _
> 
> _Italic_ = flashback

Chapter Three  
Changes

 

_Opening his eyes, confusion set in very quickly, as he sat up to find that he had been lying on a cold concrete floor, surrounded by titanium three titanium steel walls, one having a heavy looking door built in it, and the last ‘wall’ was a floor to ceiling pane of glass. He could see people on the other side of the glass, walking around, talking to each other and even looking right at him._  
_He banged on the glass and called out, only to get no response. Or whatever attention he did get wasn’t the sort he was after, these people were just talking and looking and taking notes, then walking to and from. As though his calls were merely part of what they had expected and chose to not elaborate._  
_A chill went over his body and that was when he realised that he was stark naked._  
_There was a loud click like sound and the heavy door rolled upward, but not completely, just enough for whoever to shove and slide a stretcher under. Upon the stretcher was an unconscious and just as equally naked man. Someone he had not expected to see since leaving his old school not too long ago._  
For whatever moral he somehow conjured, he went over to this other man and decided to check his pulse, just to be sure that he was okay. A form of relief came when he felt the palpitations within the neck and wrist.  
_He then moved over to the other side of the cell. He didn’t know when the other man was to wake up, nor did he know what was going to happen. Heck! He didn’t even know how in Merlin’s name he got here in the first place, or how they got his fellow cellmate, either. What was worse wasn’t so much the imprisonment, but it was the fact that his memory was starting to become foggy on certain details._  
_He could have sworn he knew the man they just placed in with him... well, his name and their sharing classes or something together, but he wasn’t so sure, like whatever details he thought he knew was obscure and distorted... he was feeling sleepy again..._

###

_He was now waking up to find his arms and ankles cuffed down to an examination table. The cold steel against his naked back. Positioned upright, so he could see everything around him. Opposite to him was the man that was in the same cell as he was... what was his name again?_  
_This man had short light brown hair, compared to his black shoulder length hair, slightly more beefed than he was, but still slim. He couldn’t help but notice the scars... curious on how he got them, he hoped he hadn’t been abused by those who were meant to love and care for him..._  
_“Hello,” the man spoke to him in a weak tone. “You were in the same cell as me.”_  
_The man with the black hair nods. “I’m afraid I am unsure of what your name is. I would tell you mine, but -”_  
_“You cannot remember as well?”_  
_A shake of the head confirmed the light brown haired man’s answer._  
_“Yet I feel as though we did know each other,” he couldn’t help saying to the man with black hair._  
_“And I, with you.”_  
_“I see that you’ve both been talking on and off, until you have each learned that whatever memories you may have once had have been erased,” spoke a sinister sounding voice, laced with satisfaction._  
_In walked a thin man wearing a stunning white lab coat and rounded gold framed glasses on a thin face topped with medium brown hair that was partly greying with a hint of auburn._  
_“Allow me to introduce myself, I am Doctor Orson and I am here to help you with the changes you are going to be going through.”_  
_“What changes?” asked the man with light brown hair._  
“Now what fun would that be if I was to explain it all in one go?” Doctor Orson replies, walking over to him. “Just know that all of this is for your own good, Roman.”  
_“Roman?”_  
_“Why, that is your name, don’t you remember?”_  
_‘Roman’ shook his head. “No, I do not.”_  
_“Well, you ought to remember it now, it’s been your name for as long you’ve been with us,” said Doctor Orson. “Whereas you,” looking at the other man on the opposite to them, “as you should remember, are Severin.”_  
_Both men tried to recollect anything that would support this, but with nothing else, they supposed that these had to be their names._  
_“And... how long have we been here?” ‘Severin’ dares to ask._  
_“Long enough for some of the changes to take effect, but not all of them, as there is still much to do in order to be able to accomplish what we really need,” said Dr Orson, his thin lipped smile not leaving his face, as he pulled a pair of rubber gloves out from his pocket and placed them on his hands. “First thing is first, now that you are both conscious, the real fun can truly begin.”_  
_When he said this the lighting brightened on up to reveal a very large area room, filled with so many items from the smallest of scalpels to a large very thick glassed tank._  
_“I am going to be collecting much required samples. Of course I am only but one person, so I will have my team of selected and very well trusted individuals to help me carry out not only the sample collecting, but the tests we will be having you go through.”_  
_When he said this, five people wearing white coats and masks over their noses and mouths came walking in, placing gloves upon their hands._  
_“For what purpose?”_  
_“Ever the one to question everything, aren’t you, Severin?”_  
_“It would be nice to be informed.”_  
_Dr Orson wagged his finger; “Tut-tut, Roman, all you both need to know is that this is for your own good, what you will be put through will ensure that many afterwards will benefit.” He then went to a sterile and prepped table, where many instruments lay in wait, beside the erect table Roman was cuffed to, and picked up a strap and placed it around the restrained man’s arm and tied it off and managed to find a nice vein, placing a needle with blood collecting vial right into it and drawing a nice thick red of blood. “Excellent.”_  
_Two of the five had moved over to assist Dr Orson, while the other three moved over to start on Severin._  
_The taking of the blood samples wasn’t that bad, but what they were about to endure was much more worse and much more violating. Especially when they saw the little collection container and hands started to grab in a region that caused them both to want to move away. Severin slammed his back into the table, trying to fight and protest; Roman just struggled and gritted his teeth._  
_“Wahoo this one’s a fighter! That might prove to be useful,” said one of the white coats, almost laughing._  
_“Please stop!” Severin cried out._  
_“Oh come on, every bloke loves nothing more than to get a decent hand job,” said the white coat. “Relax will ya!”_  
_Stray tears were escaping down the man’s face, Roman could see the sheer anguish from his position. His heart thumped hard with the feel of sorry for Severin, knowing there was nothing he could do to help the situation, for he, too, was just as stuck._  
_They endured more poking and prodding, ending with the Dr Orson coming in with a series of vials, each one filled with substances that neither had a clue on what they were. Two of them contained green, almost glowing ooze looking stuff._  
_“We’re going to play a little game,” he tells the two men. “We are going to find out which one of you is going to gets which syringe with these different altering substances. It’s very, very simple, all you have to do, is answer a few simple questions.”_  
_Both men looked at each other, then at Dr Orson, eyeing the vials with expressions of dread. Even more when the White Coat Assistants started to place needles attached to machines that was able to hold the vials_  
_“First question I am going to ask is what your names are?”_  
_Frowning at this, the men weren’t sure if this was a trick question._  
_“Severin,” said Severin._  
“Remus Lupin,” Roman then answered, as if his memory just jolted in. “You’re Severus Snape!” Looking at the other restrained man still facing opposite to him.  
_Without speaking, Dr Orson picks up two of the vials, then places on in the holder that was next to ‘Remus... Roman...?’ While he put the other one in the machine beside Severin._  
_“Next question. If you could control any of the elements I am going to name, which would you choose? Water, Earth, Fire or Air? You are to choose two.”_  
_“Earth and Fire,” said Remus, still confused on how he got here and why ‘Severus’ didn’t know who he was._  
_“Water and Air,” said Severin._  
_This allowed another vial each to be placed in._  
_With each question asked, this added a vial to whatever seemed to match whatever answers were given. Noting that they were marked and coded._  
_It wasn’t long before each of the machines had ten vials each. No sooner at the last ones been put in place, did Dr Orson stand back with the rest of the crew and gave the orders to press the buttons that was to start compressing the substance slowly, one by one, into their victims._  
_Pain seared through them both, then a sudden wash of relief, only to be seeing stars once more. It wasn’t clear whether he was hearing himself scream or the other guy, but when his vision cleared a little, he frowned at the sight of him..._  
_“Remus Lupin?” he said, before being engulfed once more by the tremendous pain._

###

“The things we endured,” Severus’s voice sounded almost distant upon the memories of explaining; “How our daughters were forced to exist and knowing what would happen if we stayed and they were to be born there...” he shook his head.  
It was now night time, the four Turtles were all placed into bed, with extra help from Remus and Severus, which Splinter truly appreciated. They even went as far as, asking before doing so, fixing the couches, beds and a few other items, so they looked almost brand new. Not a spring to be seen, or mould to cause sickness.  
So when they knew it was safe from innocent ears, Splinter was told of the people from EWATGRI. They saw Splinter’s ears twitch at the mention of this.  
“You’ve heard of them?” Remus asked.  
“They are the reason we, my Turtles and I, are how we are,” said Splinter. “Only, I didn’t know that there were three extra letters, believing they were just known as TGRI.”  
Splinter did allow these men to know how he and his sons came to be, given that they were giving him the privilege to know as much as they were allowing to give about them and their daughters.  
“Guess we are not as different as it seems,” said Severus, thoughtfully.  
“How so?” Splinter asks. “I am not doubting what you are saying, I just wish to understand better.”  
Remus and Severus looked at each other for a moment. It wasn’t so much a hesitation, more like an internal debate between the two. Until Severus started to unbutton his long sleeved shirt, standing up when he got halfway down and then pulling the material away and off.  
Splinter placed a hand just on his bottom lip, more stunned than he thought he would be upon the sight of the same slit like gills on each of his sides, between the pelvic and bottom rib bones, patterned with smooth scale like skin around them, that seemed to blend in very well with his ‘human’ skin.  
“That is only a small partial of the evidence on what we went through,” Remus said, knowing just how hard Severus struggled with this, more than Remus did himself, (though Severus did know more of what Remus let on at times).

###

_Huddled in a near foetal position on the hard floor of his cell, shaking profusely, Severus was trying to comprehend on what he had just gone through over the past week... had it been a week? He didn’t know. Maybe it had been two weeks. Neither he, nor Remus, were allowed to know what the exact time of the day was, or even the date, the month... not even the year..._  
_‘Why would you wish to concern yourself over such a fickle matter that is time?’ Dr Orson drawled when Remus had asked. ‘Such beauties such as yourselves of the high superiority I have given you oughtn’t to waste your minds upon it.’_  
_Superiority, Severus thought with a near snort. He didn’t feel superior right now; lying on the floor, still without clothing. He wasn’t cold, oddly enough, the shaking was for other reasons, the pain his body had gone through, the tests and transformations... and the mind games._  
_Dr Orson insisting on calling them Severin and Roman. Torturing them if they dared to say otherwise._  
_Severus still couldn’t get the visual of him witnessing Remus being forced onto his stomach, tied down by his wrists and ankles before dragging Severus over and..._  
_He could still hear himself protesting as he was forced over the top of Remus and the cries, which was turned into unwanted panting, then into chaotic sounding snarls and growls that was mixed with erotic and scary._  
_Even more when they somehow found that their restraints were removed, allowing them to really have at each other..._  
_A blanket being placed upon him took him out of the memory and into the present, seeing the man he was made to..._  
_“We were given the privilege of blankets for a change,” Remus said, sitting down, leaning against the wall, not too far from Severus, and wrapping his own blanket around himself._  
_Not moving from his spot, Severus tilted his head up and looked at Remus._  
_“You shouldn’t be near me,” his voice strained._  
_Remus was puzzled. “Why?”_  
_“Because... because...” Severus struggled to find the words. “I’m dangerous!”_  
_Taking a few moments to gather what he was meaning by it._  
_“We were both forced into that position, Severus...” Remus then concluded._  
_“But... I never thought... Hogwarts was one thing... but...”_  
_Seeing the man he had once watched endure whatever brawls he got into from James Potter and Sirius Black – though he was able to hold his own on many of those occasions – starting to break down right in front of him, Remus didn’t know what to do. Except the one thing he didn’t know whether he would be rejected for it or not._  
_Remus moved closer to Severus, until he was behind him and carefully wrapped his arms around him, being careful to not get that close with particular body parts. Severus didn’t expect him to accept this gesture, at first he wanted to push away, scream that he shouldn’t be touched, that he was too dangerous for that... but the more he wanted to go against it, the more he knew that the comfort was what he just needed; unknowing to the both of them at that point that this small gesture was to become much more than they had expected it to turn out to be._  
_Every time they were placed back in their cell after whatever gruelling session they were made to go through; from Severus testing out how well he could actually breath under the water with his now fully grown in gills, to Remus controlling the ability to use fire, (within a controlled environment, because the White Coats weren’t stupid enough to place themselves at risk of either one of these two turning on them while doing what needed to be done); they would just comfort each other, no longer caring who was watching, who the other man was, because none of that seemed to matter anymore... not when they were both in this same torturous hell, with no answers to the questions they keep asking every time._  
_‘Why are we here?’, ‘How did we get here?’, ‘When are we going to get out of here?’; just to name a few._  
_The extra comfort for was whenever they were forced to act sexually... but after the third time this happened to them, it was no longer forced upon, because almost as soon as they were back in their cell after that episode, they were fast to wanting to finish whatever sexual tension that had been still built up within them. Severus allowing Remus to overpower him and... oh it felt good..._  
_So, it became clear to from the White Coats perspective, and to the smug joy from Dr Orson upon this witnessing, they had achieved another goal they had hoped to tick off._  
_“Ladies and gentlemen, our first successful mating mutant pair thus far, two who once wouldn’t have gotten along, according to our sources... now cannot take their hands off each other in a lust crazed passion,” he said with gloating in his tone._  
_“But we’ve got other mating pairs, sir,” said one of the White Coats, a little confused._  
_Dr Orson gave an understanding glance to his colleague; “I meant first successful male mating pair. This is some very good news indeed, one that must be shared to those who are helping us ensure this facility was even possible to begin with.”_

###

“So, in a sense you’re almost forced to be partners to each other?” Splinter asks, carefully. He wasn’t given the full nitty gritty details, but enough to put two and two together.  
“At first it was forced, but now... not so much,” said Remus.  
“Our want to protect the other and whatever feelings that came with happened whilst in that place,” Severus added.  
“But how does this explain your daughters, if I am overstepping?”  
“You are going to need to expand whatever you may have thought about reproductions and breeding habits,” said Severus, shifting a little in his seat. His shirt was now back on, covering the fact that he had been mutated.

###

_Remus placed a gentle hand on Severus’s forehead._  
_“How are you feeling?”_  
_“Like shit,” Severus replied. “You?”_  
_“Can’t complain,” said Remus, with a small smile. “I wasn’t the one vomiting during the night. The smell nearly got me joining you, though.”_  
_Severus didn’t know whether to shoot him a reproachful look or an amused one. “If you’re not careful, I will make you join me!” he groaned; causing Remus to laugh, and immediately apologise for it._  
_The two had learned to find humour where they could, it was nice, from Remus’s point of perspective, to know that when he got to really know Severus, he learned that he did have a genuine sense of humour underneath the tough, almost menacing, exterior he displayed. It was a mostly dry one, but it certainly made the situation lighter when it needed to._  
_Something that frustrated the heck out of Dr Orson and his White Coats, who weren’t too fond of their experiments having any form joy, whatever it was, unless it was given to them in a form of privilege. But, it didn’t stop the men from having a good crack at their expense, and when they were alone in their cell, holds no bars on what they wanted to say or do, as it was just themselves for company._  
_Again, still unknowing how much time had passed, more changes happened and more experiments. Now Severus had been violently ill for the last three days. He found relief whenever he was able to swim, but on dry land, during the night..._  
_“I just want to curl under a rock and fucking die,” Severus mumbled, head on Remus’s blanketed lap – they were allowed to keep the blankets and pillows within their cells._  
_“May I join you?” Remus jested._  
_“To die, too?”_  
_“Or just to curl up with you.”_  
_Remus was carefully running soft fingers across Severus’s forehead and temples, which seemed to help get the man’s mind off his queasy stomach._  
_“Try and get some rest,” Remus said gently._  
_That would have been the ideal thing to do, if it hadn’t been for the door to their cell to roll up and in walked the White Coats, armed with wands and tranquilisers as they always were, making it impossible for the two do anything that wasn’t going to result in being zapped, knocked out or other._  
_“Get a move on!” one said._  
_Knowing by now that it wasn’t within their best interest to disobey, the two men followed instruction from getting up to be walked out of their cell and led through a maze of hallways and doors – made to ensure that it was impossible for any chance of escape, until they reached the door that read in all capital MEDICAL EXAMINATION ROOM FOR MUTANTS. Inside looked every bit like a hospital examination room, with all the needed equipment and items that may be needed, from oxygen cylinders to rubber gloves._  
_“You,” one white coat prodded to Remus, “Over there!”_  
_Remus was pushed to get on to one of the two examination beds that was in here. They weren’t like the tables they’ve been forced on, these were padded and quite comfortable. Except for the fact that he was being cuffed to ensure he didn’t go anywhere. The same was done to Severus when he was made to get on the other bed._  
_“What are you going to do?” Severus asked._  
_“You didn’t think we didn’t notice you being unwell lately? As much as we want to put you through your paces, we do like to make sure that all is in working order and you are in shape,” a white coat explains._  
_“Gee, how considerate,” Severus bit back with sarcasm._  
_Ignoring his jab, the White Coat continued. “Well, we know that the changes to your physicality has finally become complete, or close to it. But with you, Severin, being ill for the past few days, we like to be better safe than sorry.”_  
_The examinations began with a blood sample extraction and eventually ending with an ultrasound._  
_They found Remus was in good order, nothing out of the ordinary... well... other than the obvious in the fact that the mutation of his genes and the werewolf contaminants he retrieved when he was a child had blended in beautifully, (according to what they notices and exchange of words were being put forward), where he was no longer in pain whenever he transformed into the beast form during the full moon; also making note on how within his mind he was... until he was in a situation where he needed to pass on his genetic code and with Severus being the one he was forced to pair up with and his ‘instinct’ for lack of better way of placing it, eventually taking over... and Severus allowing the act to happen, (so long as he got his way in return)..._  
_It was a complete shock to the system to both men when they saw, right there on the screen, when they had moved on to Severus, not one, but four embryos, forming away within a makeshift womb inside of him._  
_“Looks like you’re going to have your wish for wanting children Roman.”_  
_“How...?” Remus dared ask, for Severus was rendered speechless, not taking his eyes off of what was before him._  
_“Dr Orson placed a special formula into both of you during the mixing of the genes took place, to see who was likely to form a sustainable womb to allow for the possibility of breeding. Roman’s didn’t take hold, if anything his body literally rejected it, turning whatever testosterone or whatever his body needing against the chance of viable change that might have happened, which in turn was absorbed and expelling via different methods, making it look as though it was never there._  
_“Whereas for you, Severin... I knew you were a bit of a snivelling snot back in the day, but who knew that was because you were very much a girl!”_  
_Severus jolted when he heard the word ‘snivelling’._  
_“Who are you?”_  
_“Don’t worry, the Dark Lord is in belief that you’re on some mission to find ways to help him live a life of immortality,” the White Coat simply said. “While Dumbledore has his best people on the lookout for you... or so I have heard.”_  
_Severus wanted very much to charge at this person, at all of them wearing white._  
_“Dr Orson will be very pleased with this news. Sedated them and take them back to their cells.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _**The reason they are just called White Coats is because whenever Remus and Severus learned a name, any name, they were deliberately confused out to the point where they just didn’t see the point in trying anymore. The only name that seemed to matter to these people was Dr Orson’s.** _


	4. Talk

Chapter Four  
Talk

 

The flashbacks of it all caused Severus to not wish to speak anymore of it. He didn’t regret keeping the pregnancy, even after they had managed to escape to ensure they were safe, but it still bothered him how violated he had been via the hands of these... he didn’t know if he could call them people, for they certainly didn’t have much of a conscience to be able to carry out the stuff they had... and would have continued if they had of stayed.  
“It took almost everything we could to get out of there after we found out about Severus carrying our children,” Remus continued. “We made sure others, whom we’ve formed friendships with, were able to escape as well. Two of them stayed with us just long enough to assist in the birthing of our four daughters, and the unfortunate burial of two of them.”  
“Kali and Brigid...” Severus said almost subconsciously.  
“Did you ever find out how you ended up being with EWATGRI?” Splinter asks.  
Both shook their heads.  
“Not a single hint or clue,” said Remus. “Albus Dumbledore, when we finally caught up with him not long after our escape, simply said he would look into what had happened and gave us a safe house.”  
“Surely he, or whoever, would have come up with something,” said Splinter, frowning a little.  
“We thought so too,” said Severus. “But, nothing showed up... until just recently when someone took our two surviving daughters and it just drudged up something we hoped to not encounter so soon. Still a mystery, because of all that is happening with the wizarding war, it’s hard to trust on who is with whom and what is in it for whoever. We just know that EWATGRI are not shy in using whoever and whatever they can get their hands, in all hopes to create some... I have no idea exactly.”  
“They wanted to make us into some sort of superior race, or breed them, so is to help enhance wizard powers or some bizarre reason that doesn’t make sense, if they’re wanting purity or whatever,” Remus said.  
Severus looks at Remus a little surprised to hear this.  
“I overheard some of the White Coats when they thought we were both asleep, someone accidentally left the speaker on that was attached in our cell,” Remus elaborated.  
“Who else knows about your situation?” Splinter asked, he was listening carefully and spoke with care, he had grown fond of these two, even within the short about of time they’ve known each other and exchanging their ‘how they got to be’ stories.  
“Other than Albus Dumbledore and the Mutants we helped to escape when we escaped? The members of the Order of the Phoenix,” said Remus.  
“Yet, you have a couple of spies, because someone in formed the Dark Lord, and he’s wanting to actually cast his eyes on them,” Severus’s lip curled up a little at this.  
Remus sighed. “Unfortunately, that is true.”  
“Obviously, you don’t know who this spy is, or spies?” says Splinter.  
“No,” said Remus. “Other than Severus, who agreed to help the Order after the mass of help that was given to us both, but the Order isn’t all aware of Severus’s alliance with us, because of the unknown spy and it was just safer.”  
“Except someone did figure it out,” Severus points out.  
“It’s gotten Greyback to back off of me though,” Remus couldn’t help smile at this.  
“What did you do? Flambé the Wolf?”  
“Nah, more like he had a bit of sinking feeling.”  
“You buried him alive?”  
“Only to his waist.”  
Seeing the confusion on Splinter’s face, they explained that part of the transformation they had received had given them the ability to control the very elements they said they’d like to control if they could.  
“I can control of air and water, while Remus can control fire and earth,” said Severus.  
“Would that be the same for your daughters?”  
“We are uncertain right now,” said Remus. “Seems that whatever their abilities aren’t really present as yet being nearly four months old.”  
Splinter understood. He then decided to make this proposal to the two fathers. “If you would be comfortable with this offer, and you do not have to say any answers on the matter right now, more something to think upon over the next couple of years, I could give your daughters lessons in the art of Ninjitsu. If they do present powers, and being witches on top of this, as you say you’re wizards, having such lessons in a form of discipline, a fair discipline, I assure you, it might help them. Benefit their potential.”  
“What is Ninjitsu?”  
“It is a form of Martial Arts,” said Splinter. “Even some Japanese Wizards practice it, or other form of Martial Arts my home country offers.”  
“I believe we have something to think on,” said Remus, Severus simply nods to agree. “It’s just troubling that, after all the trouble we went through, to make sure those owls weren’t intercepted on their way to you, they were still sidetracked somehow to have those words written upon them. Which you now know as much of the reasons why we had to tell you, in person.”  
Splinter was grateful and didn’t hide this expression. “The fact that you took the time to share such concerns, when you could have just taken your daughters and left us be, even with the bundle you provided, shows that you are good men and I am thankful.  
“I also hope that you are able to still heal.”  
“One day at a time, Splinter,” said Remus. “One day at a time.”

###

Reading the contents of the letter very, very carefully, Dr Orson rubbed his chin, thinking away upon what he had been informed.  
As if to know just which button to press, a buzz sound came, before he spoke into the microphone.  
“Marcy, darling, can you be a dear and fetch for me a parchment, quill and ink pot, and see if one of the Speeders is available once that is done, thank you.”  
Dr Orson had been greatly annoyed when the escape of many of his prized experiments had escaped. Okay, annoyed was an understatement. Pissed off and wanted to make some heads roll pretty much summed his mood when it happened. Even more when the jewels of his collection, the ones he had help acquiring, dared to use their learned skills and powers against his team, forcing them to hand over everything that was taken from them, wands, clothes, everything that had been on their person upon their capture.  
They even had the gall to dare request clothing for the others who managed to become free.  
No one had died, but some weren’t exactly healthy either; one had taken their own life, another two ended up in therapy of some sort, which resulted in them quitting all together – which meant that their memories had to be wiped of everything...  
There was also the task of finding more assistants that would show promise in what goals and achievements that were to be met. EWATGRI was known globally as one of the best companies out there, having a huge reputation of powering into the future, or simply making life just that little bit more simple by producing a simple facial creams to those of the non magic kind, to potions to help that acne for the magic folk. Dr Orson had found a way to balance the market in the two worlds and he wasn’t about to let that slide.  
His secretary, Marcy, a short middle-age woman who had been with the facility since it had opened, came walking in and placed the requested quill, ink pot and parchments upon the desk.  
“I will be back with the Speeder, Doctor,” she said.  
“Thank you, Marcy,” said Dr Orson with a nice smile, he had always liked this woman. She used to work for his father, before he had to retire and hand the reins over, always treated him fairly.  
Marcy walked back on out, as the Doctor picked up the quill, uncorked the pot and dipped the tip in. After ensuring that there were to be no blotches, the sound of scratching began, as he wrote what he needed to say in response to the letter...

###

“How are you coping right now?”  
Severus had to think of his answer. He and Remus were back in their home, got into the usual routine of feeding, changing and settling their daughters. Remus knew full well that this was a way for Severus to feel that he was in control somehow and able to recompose himself.  
“Still embarrassed,” Severus answered.  
He had a mini breakdown while they were still at Splinter’s Lair – they had spent the night as it had gotten very late, plus the two men couldn’t help but ensure that the place was in a heap better condition, such as fixing all of the beds and the appliances they were able to figure out. (Splinter was surprised, but welcoming of the offer, though he said that they had done plenty already, which neither wanted to truly hear, explaining that no child should be without the basic comforts). It had come on quite suddenly and he was worried that he had scared Splinter’s Turtles, for they had witnessed it. One had even ran to get Splinter.  
“I’m just glad it wasn’t a major one,” Severus then added.  
“You know Splinter understood straight away.”  
“Doesn’t make the situation for me any more comfortable. The shit I’ve had to go through with the Dark Lord and his followers is nothing compared to the fucked up scenarios we were placed in when with those Elite Wanking Arseholes!”  
Remus couldn’t help snorting with laughter. “Sorry, I wasn’t expecting the last bit.” He managed to compose himself just as quickly.  
“I just thought of it to be honest,” Severus admitted, forgiving the laughing from Remus, though he had not intended to be humorous in his words, they did lighten the mood a little.  
“At least Splinter was able to help you out of it, too,” Remus points out kindly.  
“True.”  
“Plus, you cannot deny what the Turtles did to try and help was pretty amusing.”  
A slither of a smile spread on Severus’s lips at this small snippet memory of that episode. One of them got a blanket and put it on him, (because he might be cold or needed it); another thought that he must have a glass of chocolate milk, (because chocolate always helps, and they only had chocolate milk, otherwise he’d offer a chocolate bar instead); while the one who wore orange just sat with him on the couch and attempted to try and read a storybook, (because he needed a story with a ‘happily ever after’ in it), the one who wore purple just helped the orange wearing one with certain words, (because it was clear that Michelangelo wasn’t as skilled with reading as Donatello yet, but he did pretty good in pointing out the nice pictures).  
It did surprise Severus to find his tolerant levels to be accepting toward these ever helpful children. He wasn’t ever really one for children in general, but perhaps having his own, or witnessing some of the stuff he had untoward some of the children that had been in the Facility they were held in... it did change him some.  
The pure innocence from the Turtles, and how they just wanted to help make him feel better. The love he had for his own daughters, both the ones he still had with Remus, and the ones they sadly lost, also helped in forming a different opinion to some degree.  
“How do you do it?” Severus then asks Remus.  
“Do what?”  
“Cope? You’ve had to deal with your condition before all of this and the stigma that’s been attached. Only to be thrown into being messed around with again.”  
This wasn’t the first time this had been asked. Worded in different ways, but still the same question. Remus simply learned quickly that is was his partner’s way of needing a form of assurance to know he’s not the only one, or needing validity that he’s not some sort of freak; among other reasons he would ask such a question from him.  
“I guess because I’ve lived with being a werewolf since childhood and having no choice, it became something of a second skin, second nature. Add the newfound abilities and other changes that have happened with EWA, it was just some extra to process and accept, I suppose,” Remus answered, looking right at Severus, tilting his head when he saw the other man look away a little. “Doesn’t mean I don’t have my moments, as you very well have known and seen for yourself.”  
“But you don’t have them as much as I do!”  
“Does it matter how often we have those moments?”  
Severus shook his head. “I suppose not.”  
“You have support, Severus. You know you can speak of anything to me, and now that we’ve made a new friend out of someone we didn’t expect to ever form any connection or alliance with.”  
“I just want to keep these memories under control, the flashbacks, and the breakdowns.”  
“And you will in time. We had only left that hellhole back in February, it is now December, and you cannot expect to heal over the trauma in such a short time, Sev. Even I didn’t get over the shit Greyback caused me, I was still wetting the bed and having nightmares for almost two years straight from what he did... along with the ever fun part of being painfully transformed into a werewolf every month.  
“Yes, you did stuff to me, and I to you, and the extra hell we dealt with from Orson and his White Coats. You still see yourself as dangerous, but I can tell you hear and now, you are still a heck of a lot less dangerous than I am.”  
Severus gave a doubtful expression. “How am I less dangerous? You’ve me turn into... into... that... and... forcing you to...”  
Remus sighs and then goes on to say; “If I remember just as vividly over those moments, I wasn’t exactly shy either, plus some of that was forced on to us.”  
“But some of it didn’t feel forced, even when we were bring forced... like you wanted me inside you, but I don’t know.”  
“I enjoyed the rough handling you did to me, I don’t know why, it just felt right every time it happened, I can almost guarantee that if we started up again here and now, it would be with the same urge and want and enjoyment,” Remus admitted, unembarrassed by it. “You and I know both know I was a virgin until we were placed into that situation. I didn’t know that our acts would turn into what it is now.”  
“You weren’t the only one to have lost their virginity that first time we were made to each climb on to each other,” Severus almost whispered. “I even allowed you to and was willing to allow you to carry out that bloody instinctual need to climb on to me, and allow you to mate and create our girls with me.”  
This vulnerability from Severus was something Remus only ever had the privilege of seeing, after so much they’ve been to, it was pretty much a given between them to show sides they normally wouldn’t to most.  
Remus said with careful tone; “I didn’t expect that to happen, I even told you when we found out that day I wouldn’t have blamed you if you wanted to find a way to terminate, because had I known, I may have tried to avoid it from happening, but I don’t know, even in hindsight.  
“I was scared of what would happen to you, to the daughters we have now, while they were inside you, growing. I thought that my being a werewolf and passing on my genes, it would cause them to go and rip out of you during a full moon or something, as crazy as that sounds.”  
“They ripped out of me all right, but not in the way you were probably thinking...” Severus dared to quip, despite himself. “Surprised I’m still in one piece down there!”  
Again Remus laughed. “One experience we certainly didn’t know how it was going to turn out.”  
“You’re telling me, I quite like my gentiles and not have them ruined!”  
“Me, too,” Remus teased.  
As if there was sort of radar happening, before the two could continue to go further in their teasing that might lead to something more, a pair of cries were heard coming from the girls’ bedroom.  
“Damn!” Severus muttered under breath.

###

Twitching his ears, he wasn’t sure what he had just heard, but his gut was telling him something was off.  
He had just settled his four sons down for the night, all now comfortable in their brand new beds. Well, they weren’t actually new, they were repaired via the talents of Severus and Remus, but they certainly had the new feeling when the young boys crawled in one by one, and curled up without complaining of lumpiness, or springs or any of that. Accompanied by the blankets, pillows and, of course Michelangelo needing to have his teddy bear, getting them down was almost easy.  
But no sooner had he tucked them all in and watched them fall asleep, then exit on out to sort out the Lair before winding down himself, he saw things had been moved from their places, which caused the father rat to instantly go on the defensive and retreat to the room his sons were in. As much as he knew he was able to fight, with his honed skills, his Turtles could not yet, and he just didn’t feel it right to leave them alone.  
He knew he had to get his Turtles out of the area. Call it a hunch.

###

_Bang! Bang! Bang!_  
The sudden sound of someone banging on their door caused Remus and Severus to wake from their sleep. Confused, they exited out of their rooms, (even though they are in some weird sense of the word partners... mates... whatever it was between them, both men agreed that it was best to keep to having their own rooms, though it didn’t stop them from visiting one another every so often).  
They quickly made their way to the front door, turning lights on to see and having their wands at the ready, because they didn’t want to take any chances.  
Remus was the one who reached the door first. He took a hold of the handle, looked at Severus to almost subconsciously check to be sure that it was wise to open it.  
_Bang! Bang! Bang!_  
That was enough for Remus to open it, and pointing his wand at...  
“Jocelyn!” he said with surprise, lowering his wand quickly, then saw another familiar. “Splinter...? What happened?”  
He quickly stepped aside to allow Splinter, his four turtles and a young woman to enter.  
The woman, Jocelyn, had sharp facial like features that made her seem to look almost like a hawk, even more with her yellow-orange eyes. Though she was wearing boots, both Severus and Remus knew that her feet were more hawk or eagle like, complete with actual talons. Acting like a cloak resting on her shoulders and back were her wings, which were extremely stunning when they were fully spread out to show off their magnificent rich brown with golden tinge that reflects when light hits it. When they are down like she has them as of this moment, they don’t glimmer, but they do sway almost like a cloak would.  
“Someone has been following you, or they found out about you being in contact with Splinter. White Coats were very close to nabbing them, but I, along with Moscow, were able to get to them first and use our channels to get them here,” she explained.  
“What?” Severus was stunned.  
“More like who?” said Jocelyn, with trouble expression.  
“Well, let us get your four sorted and back into some beds?” Remus then suggested to the frightened boys. “I believe that is why they look so tired?” Looking at Splinter.  
“I had just gotten them down for the night,” Splinter nods, wary and concerned, also with a hint of relief to know they were in a safe place... he hoped.  
“Lucky we have a spare room,” said Severus. “Where is Moscow?”  
“In Russia!” said Donatello. “It’s the Capital. Well, before it was Saint Petersburg during the time of the Tsars.”  
This caused Jocelyn to laugh. “Oh, my mate is going to love you!”  
“Okay, come on,” said Splinter, placing a gentle hand on Donatello’s little shoulder and leading him away to follow Remus up the stairs with the other three turtles.  
“Moscow is lying low for a bit, he got injured when blocking a White Coat’s attempt in harming one of the Turtle boys,” said Jocelyn, in response to Severus’s question.  
“I could always offer a couple of potions to help him along,” Severus offered.  
“That would be great,” Jocelyn smiles gratefully.  
“Will you be staying the night?”  
Jocelyn shakes her head. “I need to get back to Moscow. But will stop by a little later.”  
“Do you want the potions, now, before you do go?”  
“Sure.”  
Severus quickly went to his storeroom, which had been especially built for him to be able to store all of his potions and ingredients to conjure them, to find the right potion he was looking for. He loved the dark arts, but potions was a knack he had and it seemed to help him in some odd therapeutic way when it came to trying to control the flashbacking memories he endured.  
Irony of ironies, when he was stuck in the EWA facility, he was made to make a whole range of potions and so forth. Little did they realise that he took great pleasure in the task, because he knew more than the White Coats did... which helped in the plot of their escape plan.  
He found the correct vials and went back to Jocelyn, who was still standing by the front door, waiting.  
“Here,” he said.  
“You’re a darl,” said Jocelyn, accepting them. “See you around.”  
“Bye.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _**More mutants who had escaped from the EWATGRI company to show up... A plot to try and get Splinter and his Turtles... What will happen...? Stay tuned... I think this just got more interesting...** _


	5. Trouble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _**Warning: Extra violent moment ahead.** _

 

Chapter Five  
Trouble

 

For five days the two families stayed as low as possible within the Snape-Lupin household. As almost chaotic as it might have been, having four completely energetic boys and two infants to care for, it seemed that they were able to find some way to make it work.  
One positive was that the house was almost in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by forest trees.  
Remus and Severus had decided to move to Remus’s old childhood home after they got their daughters back without telling anyone. When Dumbledore learned that they were no longer at the safe house, he did question them, even asking where they were located, he was simply told that it was best that only a certain few knew and kept it at that. (They informed Splinter and the turtles, and good thing they had).  
So, even though everything was covered in snow, the Turtles were able to run around and let off steam where it was appropriate. Taking care, given that they’re cold blooded, though they were aided a little where needed by the potion Severus was able to concoct.  
“Ever since my transformation, my own blood has changed from being warm blooded to being somewhere in between,” Severus explained to Splinter after he showed what was in the potion and what it would do to help the boys. “I can still maintain certain body temperatures, but in certain environments, it’s not as easy to do, I believe that is when the cold blooded side comes in. So I managed to create this... irony being that it was created in the EWA facility of all places by my own hand.”  
Splinter didn’t ask for any further details, knowing that there would have been more to how the potion came to be, instead showed his gratitude for a fellow father helping another father out.  
Another source of excitement was that Christmas was just around the corner.  
While the season didn’t always bring much to Splinter and his Turtles, and the last Christmas for Severus and Remus was spent in a cell or doing some sort of test, it was fair to wish that a small quiet affair would be on the agenda.  
Remus got caught in a pickle where he was asked, virtually almost ordered, to be at the Christmas get together on Christmas Eve that was being held by some of the Order, including the Potters, Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew as part of the guest list. When Remus tried to tell Dumbledore that it might not be possible.  
“I am sure Severus will be fine, especially of you bring your two daughters with you, people have been asking to see them, after all, yet you keep denying them the right to cast their sights on such spectacular children,” he said, brushing off the concerns. “Also it would have been just after the full moon, you’ll be safe around people by then.”  
When Remus bought this to the attention of his partner and Splinter, Severus was the one to speak up first;  
“What do you want to do?” he asks.  
Remus shakes his head.  
“I do not want to show off Freya and Athena,” he was fully honest in his voice on that. “Albus has been pushing for me to present them. I do not know if he’s been asking for the same from you, Severus?”  
“He’s always gotten me on assignments, wanting briefs on what the Dark Lord is doing. Who is also wishing to see them, for some reason he will not elaborate on,” Severus replies. “He actually got me working on that particular day, if you remember.”  
“I am aware,” said Remus.  
“Why would he wish for your daughters to be shown off?” Splinter asks with a frown.  
“I’ve been told that people are getting more curious, they know they exist, how they came to be... though we gave no such indication that we wanted what had happened to us to be spread. If anything our intentions were to stay low and try and live our lives and not have any attention on us or our daughters.”  
“Did this Albus Dumbledore, or anyone else you may have told, respect this request?” Splinter was still frowning, trying to make sense of it. “Who else knew the full story when you found your way back?”  
“Albus, Minerva and Poppy where the first to know,” Severus counted off. “We specifically did ask to not speak of it to anyone, but it did end up being leaked out, because somehow the Dark Lord and his followers found out, thankfully it was after the girls were officially born and better to keep out of sight. Wasn’t as easy before that, with concealment charms.”  
“But once it was out of the bag virtually everyone wanted to know every bloody detail, and see the result of what people didn’t think of as possible,” Remus adds, sounding tired and annoyed by it. “We’ve avoided people on ever laying their eyes on them, except for a select few, who knew where the safe house was, even then, any attempt on getting a peek or glimpse was dashed, even my own friends were stopped from truly seeing them, except one.”  
“Who?” Severus then asked, seeming to hear this for the first time.  
“James Potter, he was passing through and dropped off some stuff to help with the girls, because he and Lily had plenty of nappies for their own son, and a spare tin of formula. I was holding Athena at the time of answering the door. I thought I told you this?”  
Severus shakes his head. “Not to my memory, no.”  
“Sorry, I thought you did.” Remus said, he saw the darkened expression on his partner’s face. “He didn’t pull any insults toward you, if that is what you are wondering about. If anything he wanted to know if you were actually okay. He didn’t pry, if anything, he understood wanting to keep a down low, because of the fact that they’re facing the possibility of going into hiding, as are the Longbottoms.”  
“I’ll just refrain from speaking more over Potter, and keep to our initial concern of this on coming Christmas Eve get together you’re being forced to go, with our daughters, because I won’t be able to watch them, myself,” Severus chooses to keep to a monotone voice.  
“I am sensing this is someone you do not get along with?” Splinter asks.  
“Short answer, not really,” Severus answers. “Sirius Black, is perhaps, the worse of the pair... sorry Remus.”  
“James Potter and Sirius Black were two of the three friends I went to school with, Severus being in the same year as us,” Remus supplied to Splinter’s curious expression. “Peter Pettigrew being the fourth to round us off.”  
“Many a fun time...” Severus sarcastically mutters under breath.  
“What do you intend to do?” Splinter asks. “I could watch your girls, while you go do what you both need to do?”  
“That may bring up too many unwanted questions, Splinter. As, there are those who do know of Severus’s position as spy, the Death Eaters don’t even know that he is actually part of the Order, as far as we know.”  
Severus again shakes his head. “Thankfully I haven’t been sprung yet. The only thing they have on me is my connection to you, but they don’t see you as a threat for some odd reason, more concerned over Dumbledore and those in the ‘higher up’ of the chain within the group.”  
“Point is, we don’t want you and the Turtles in danger.”  
“And you do not want your daughters exposed, so this might be something to consider. The decision is up to you, of course. As you say, people do not know the location of your home, am I correct?”  
“True,” said Severus.  
“Also do you have to go to the party?”  
“It is considered rude if you do not show up without a good reason,” Severus speaks before Remus. “Albus is very fickle over that stuff.”  
“Unless I am deathly ill, or supposedly still dangerous to be around people, then it would have been acceptable for me to not go. I just do not want to show off our girls,” said Remus.  
“Then don’t,” said Splinter. “You are their fathers, you have the final say over what happens to them.”  
“We will have a serious think over it, Splinter,” said Remus, finally. “Thank you.”  
“I am here to help, where I can,” Splinter replies with humbleness.

###

“Where are they?”  
“It was decided that Severus and I were more comfortable in having someone we know watch Athena and Freya,” Remus answers Dumbledore’s question. His voice was even and unapologetic.  
“You were told to bring them? How do you know that this person you have looking after them isn’t going to cause any harm? Or suitable? Who did you get?”  
Remus could hear the disappointment in his old Headmaster’s tone, but it didn’t deter him.  
“That is not your choice to make, Albus. We just know who we have can be trusted and you do not need to concern yourself on who it is.”  
“Moony!” calls over an excited voice, from across the snow covered courtyard.  
“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some catching up to do.”  
Remus leaves Dumbledore and goes over to see the James and Lily Potter, a five month old Harry nestled up in his mother’s arms, Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew.  
“We were under the impression you were to bring those daughters of yours,” said Sirius.  
“Albus wouldn’t stop talking about it, almost as though they were stealing some unknown spotlight from Harry and Neville,” James joked.  
“Yes, well, it was decided to best keep them home,” said Remus, pleasantly.  
“You left them in the care of Snivellus?” Sirius now gives a deep frown. “Surprised that once they were even born you didn’t kick him out!”  
A lump of dirt that was poking out from the melted snow leaped up and collided with the side of Sirius’s head.  
“What...? Wormtail!” Sirius turns on the shortest man of the four old friends, who was standing right next to Sirius.  
“It wasn’t me! The dirt moved on its own!”  
“Oh right! Like dirt can get from the ground to my head on its own!”  
“I swear, it wasn’t me!”  
“It was rather weird,” said Lily. “Though serves you right, probably a nice dose of karma for speaking ill of the other father to Remus’s children.”  
Sirius made a grimace, as he continued to try and blindly get the muck off him.  
“Severus, like it, or not, shares custody of Freya and Athena, we share the decisions made in their welfare and if you have a problem with that, Sirius, then I am sorry, as I am not going to be a part of such pettiness,” Remus simply said. “This is not the first time you’ve made a jab, you’ve made several over the past few months since becoming aware of the situation, even without knowing the entire details of it all. It doesn’t matter, nor should it. Speak what you like about Severus whilst I am not around, but if I hear the slightest of insults toward him when I am around, expect more than just a speck of mud to the head.”  
Sirius stares at Remus.  
“Wait? That was you? How? You weren’t holding your wand!”  
“You know that I have gone under many changes since being in that shit hole! You don’t need to know it all, just know that I will not tolerate the crap coming from you when it comes to the other father to my children. Got it?”  
Sirius saw a dangerous yellowish tinge flicker within Remus’s blue eyes for a moment. It wasn’t even a full moon anymore, the full three day phase had passed two nights before, but the boyishness Sirius usually displayed with arrogance and without care vanished within the second of seeing it.  
“How is Severus handling parenthood?” Lily decides to cut in. Though she had broken off the friendship to Severus back in their fifth year at Hogwarts, she couldn’t help wonder how her old friend was keeping.  
“I think he copes better than I do,” Remus answers politely.  
Sirius wanted to say something, but refrained.  
“Do you think that whoever took you would try again?” Peter asks, sounding nervous. “Or try and take others?”  
“I am unsure, Peter. Someone tried to palm my own daughters by making it look like a dumping, thankfully with the intervention of someone who had no idea, only to see a pair of just over two month old babies, stopped the process of whoever was meant to retrieve them from a dumpster in an alleyway, all the way in New York City, of all places.”  
“New York?” James was surprised. “First we’ve heard of that detail. The Order was just told that there was no cause for alarm and that the twins were now back in safety.”  
“Not sure if telling people that there ought not be any alarm is the right idea, for all of it still confuses me as to how and why it even happened, as well as to who was involved,” said Remus, his face in a pensive sort of expression.  
“Also to learn that people are disappearing left, right and centre, including children,” Lily mentions, looking down at her son, as if worried such a thing would happen, she certainly hoped not.  
“Well, we are in a war, Lily,” Sirius points out. “Not all of it can be on this conspiracy theory of some facility, run by these people who are fucked up. I mean how much of it can it be real?”  
“Well, the war is a good way to make people disappear. If it was some figment of one’s imagination, it seemed pretty realistic when I was stuck in that shithole,” said Remus, as if to remind Sirius who he was talking to.  
“Sorry, mate, I just meant that -”  
Remus shakes his head, frustrated by his friend. Even now, after everything that has happened to him, Sirius still won’t believe that Remus and Severus had, indeed, been kidnapped and forced to endure the abuse they’ve copped from Dr Orson and his White Coats. That the whole notion of Remus ‘hooking up with a Death Eater, but not just any Death Eater, Severus Snape’ is nothing but a big hoax and that the girls, no matter who ‘freaky’ their existence was, should be well away from ‘the greasy haired git’.  
The words of the past playing over in his head right now. He knew that there was whispers of a mole that was close to the Potters, the fact that Remus was, in fact, with a ‘Death Eater’, didn’t really sit well with some. Then again, he had to remind himself over and over that not everyone knows of Severus’s position, the fact that he joined up because of multiple reasons, reasons he was allowed to learn, because of how close they became to speak of such deep, dark secrets.  
Wanting the tension to cease, because Sirius was pushing a boundary again, and to the simple fact that James strongly sided with Remus on so many occasions – perhaps because he’s a father himself now, he’s gotten a new perspective on things, (which Sirius didn’t quite understand, but fell silent to keep his best friend happy), decided to change the subject, asking how they thought of the latest round of Quidditch.  
Remus was relieved by this, Sirius, not so much, but once the conversation got going, almost all had been forgotten and was pleasant once more.  
During their converse, Remus spied Dumbledore leaving toward the entry of the castle, accompanied by someone, who was heavily cloaked.  
His eyes widened when he saw the colour of the coat that was shown when the cloak wearer accidentally wiped open for just a moment, before the person closed it tightly around them. It looked like Dumbledore was in some deep conversation, low voiced, as no one could hear, plus being in the distance. The old man’s face was wearing a profound grimace.  
He was snapped out of it when he heard;  
“What are you doing here?” coming from Sirius, voice with a lace of venom.  
Remus saw Severus walking toward him, face panic-stricken. Ignoring the glares that were fixed on him.  
“Someone’s been in our home!” he said before Remus could utter a word. “They’ve taken the children.”  
“What about...?” Remus went to ask, stopping short of speaking Splinter’s name.  
“They blind-sighted him with a sleep potion injection,” said Severus. “He’s still not able to really move, though he’s awake, as to why I know as much as I know.”  
“I’ve just seen what I believe to be a White Coat going into the castle with Dumbledore,” Remus points to the direction he saw them going.  
Severus spun on his heel and charged toward the doorway. Remus followed in hot pursuit, pretending to have not heard the mutterings of the other guests and especially those telling him to stay where he was, he needn’t to worry himself with Severus Snape in whatever he was after.  
He didn’t stop, going where his feet would take him, he passed through the open doorway, looking at each direction, hearing hushed tones going more toward his left.  
“You know full that is what I had hoped.”  
Severus frowns, for it sounded like Albus Dumbledore, quietens down his pace, carefully, one step at a time, inches toward the conversation that was just around the corner.  
Remus just entered and saw what Severus was doing, so stayed where he was, until Severus sprung around to face whoever was there.  
“You!” voice filled with sheer hate, more hate that he may have shown toward Sirius Black.  
Remus hurried forward as Severus had clearly moved and a grunt escaped. When he reached to where they all were, his own eyes turned into a glaring glint and his face contort with loathing.  
“Severus, don’t do anything foolish,” said the voice of Dumbledore.  
“Where are they?” Severus snarled, paying no attention to the old man.  
A chubby build of a man with balding head was squirming with fear, wanting to be released from the grasp of Severus’s viced grip on the front of his cloak, back right on up against the wall.  
“You’re too late, Severin and Roman!” he says. “You should have chosen your friends more wisely.”  
Severus forced the man to look right into his dark ferocious eyes, penetrating the not so guarded thoughts. He saw everything!  
Without a word or warning, snap!  
The chubby man’s body collapsed to the ground... without its head, which was still in Severus’s hands.  
“Enjoy the Headless Hunt,” his voice of deathly still, dropping the head, and then whirling right on to Dumbledore. “You! You were the one responsible for it all!”  
“What?” Remus was bewildered by this.  
Dumbledore gave away nothing to betray what he was thinking or feeling.  
“Do you really believe that?” he simply asks. “I am not the one who just killed a man in cold blood.”  
“No, I killed a child rapist and someone who, when they found out about my pregnancy threatened to do whatever he liked with them, because there was no stopping him. It’s all for experimental purposes. That is what they all say, when they gear up to do whatever torture they can dream up of.  
“You also know that I can perform Legilimency. I saw you in there, in his memory, showing the pictures of not only Remus and my children, but of other children...”  
“You misunderstand the context of my actions, Severus. I was only merely trying to delay and mislead him away from finding the children he and his colleagues were wanting to find.”  
Not sure whether to believe this, or not, Severus just turns to Remus.  
“I know where our girls, and possibly the boys, have been taken!”  
“Wait!” Dumbledore called out.  
Stopping the pair in their tracks.  
“We cannot waste anymore time, Albus!”  
Then Dumbledore pulls out a single satin handkerchief.  
“This will speed you on your way.”  
Severus and Remus stared at it with uncertainty.  
“I am not your enemy, here. I only want what is best for you and your children,” the Headmaster said.  
The two men took a hold of the handkerchief and next they knew they were not longer standing in Hogwarts castle, instead they were right next to an old watermill.  
Coming from inside were the screams they knew so well...

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _**How on earth did they get past Splinter? Who was involved? Stay tuned. As for the chubby bloke, I don’t think he’ll be accepted into the Headless Hunt... and it was just a small snippet of Snape’s abilities... and a hint of how dangerous both he and Remus actually are...** _


	6. Rescue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _**Warning: Things are going to get a little nuts...** _

 

Chapter Six  
Rescue

 

“What are the chances of that place to be of a different appearance?” Remus says, observing the area from where he stood.  
“One way to find out, if this is on the back of a watermill, it means there’s got to be entries of sorts that lead into the water,” Severus was also monitoring, particularly the river. It wasn’t frozen over, but it was certainly got that ice cold appearance to remind many that it was blooming winter!  
“Are you sure you’re going to be okay with that?” Remus asked, already figuring out what Severus was going to attempt.  
A wry smile appears. “You know, despite all the fucked up crap, I enjoy the fact that I can breathe underwater. Plus when it comes to our daughters... you saw what I did to Fat Boy back there.”  
“Part of me thinks you didn’t just do it for Freya and Athena,” Remus remarked, but understood all the same.  
Severus started to strip down to his long pants, displaying his scales and shark like gills. The cold hit his bare skin like a bulldozer, but his body adapted as quickly as it could to combat it, he also pulled a tiny vial from an inner pocket of his robes, (which Remus was holding), containing a sparkling mauve coloured liquid. His special Blood Adaption Serum, the very one he gave to the Turtles to help them with the cool. He didn’t have any special name for it, as he couldn’t think of one that fit as of yet, but it didn’t matter, he knew what it was for and what it did.  
“I always carry one, just in case,” he says to Remus.  
“Just be careful, Sev,” Remus cautioned.  
“You stay on your guard, too... Moony,” said Severus.  
This took Remus by surprise, for Severus had never addressed him as Moony, until just now. But now was not the time for full sentimental. Severus uncorked the vial and poured the contents down his throat and made his way to the water.  
The feel of the water upon his feet was like this welcoming sensation that he missed. Ever since his change, whenever he was in or around water, he felt calm, relaxed and at home. Making his way further until he felt his gills emerge, allowing them to awaken and near take over, he dived down into the clear water, where his entire body was, with just as quick procession, able to breathe and see with ease, like a section of his lungs and vision woke up and allowed the water to pass through him and out the gills, like that of a fish.  
Not wasting his time, Severus found the direction he needed to go and powered toward it, swimming where the river meets under the house and carefully going under, being careful to avoid the wheel, thanking to Merlin that it wasn’t functioning, checking for any viable entry point.  
Seeing something that looked a little promising, he inched his way, little by little; until he found the break he needed and moved on up and silently as possible raised his head just enough so his eyes were above the water, the rest of him down below, softly treading the water.  
At first he saw nothing but the wooden and tiled flooring, Remus was right, the inside was vastly different from what it appeared on the outside. He spied doors, leading to goodness knows to which room, not knowing which one was the one for the outside; windows, looking out to the inky black twinkly starlight night sky, and from his point, with the lower ones, varying points around the field and river. He couldn’t see Remus, but he figured that either Remus was hiding in wait, or he simply couldn’t see from where he was positioned.  
Moving around, he spied a set of stairs built into the walls, he heard them, their cries, coming from up there.  
“Please let us go!” he also heard, he knew that was one of the Turtles. He could hear the fear and the whimpering.  
_Slap!_  
“Don’t you touch my brother!” one defiant voice calls.  
That Turtle must have done something, because he too copped what sounded like another slap.  
“Will you shut those babies up?”  
“I’m trying, Master!”  
“Let me try!”  
But a much more painful squeal escaped.  
Alarm bells went off. As much as he wanted to charge in there, he couldn’t do it alone. Quietly and quickly, he sped back to where he needed, finding Remus still waiting for him, partly hidden in the reeds and bushes by the bank.  
“They’re in there,” he confirmed to his partner, seeing him get to his feet, his wand was in his hand. Even with their abilities some things are of old habit or because it may be less attention bringing to use what they already knew. “On the second floor, I think, as I could hear the conversing coming from there. You’re not going to like what I am about to tell you.”  
Remus did his best to prepare for the following words, but when he heard what Severus had to say his eyes turned from blue to yellow tinged, and his teeth started to form into wolf like fangs.  
“Calm Moony!” said Severus, placing a hand on his chest. “I wanted to charge in there, too. Believe me on that. We need to do this together.”  
“Care for some extra hands?” comes a voice they didn’t expect.  
“What are you doing here?” Severus glowered at the sight of James and Sirius.  
“Remus didn’t see that we had followed him, as he was following you. We heard quite a fair bit, saw the scary expression Remus pulled from the angle he was standing up that hallway... and it a bit to get Albus to explain what had happened, because you had both disappeared by the time we got to where you were all standing, seeing the evidence of whatever happened to the pudgy bloke and automatically wanting to help, even that took Albus a while to budge,” James explains.  
“Despite what I think of you, Remus is our friend and we want to help,” Sirius adds, voice unfamiliar to Severus in the addressing he was showing toward him. Mature, he supposed was the best word.  
“Where is Peter?” Remus asked.  
“He wanted to stay and keep Lily and Harry company, after they learned on what we were going to do.”  
Severus thought there was some other reason, but didn’t voice it. In his opinion, Peter Pettigrew was always a bit of a timid prat in his view, so such a task as this would easily have him running for the hills.  
“I can hear Athena, and I can really sense the both of them,” Remus speaks; he hadn’t reformed back to human, his wanted to keep the hone he got.  
He wasn’t the only one, given Severus had just as deep of internal connection to their children, his gut was never wrong when something was going on with them. From the moment he could truly sense their heartbeats, whilst carrying them, to knowing something was wrong not long after they entered the world, where they lost Kali and Brigid two weeks after they were born, to even before their remaining pair, Freya and Athena, were discovered missing both the last time and now.  
“How do you want to do this?” James asks.  
“Preferably go unnoticed until we have no choice to be see,” said Severus. “I just know I’m going in through the entry I found under the water, there are several doors and windows from what I was able to observe, where those doors lead, I don’t know, I just know I heard the commotion up the only flight of stairs I could find; doesn’t mean there aren’t any other stairs.”  
“I did a very quick round of the house where I could; there is a set of stairs situated on the far side. Took whatever strength to not barge up them,” Remus admits.  
“So what’s the plan?” Sirius asks.

###

The door opened up when it was knocked upon, very loudly.  
“May I help you?” asked a solid built man, looking rather annoyed.  
“Sorry to bother you at this time of night,” said James. “But have you seen my dog? He managed to get out of the yard and we’ve been looking for him all afternoon since.”  
“In case you’ve noticed it is well past afternoon, it’s almost eight thirty at night,” said the man, frowning. “Whatever happened to your mutt is not my concern.”  
“Look, please! It’s important for me to find him,” James urges.  
“Well, what does he look like?”  
“He’s big, black, acts like an utter goofball, and really loves to lick people to death... or sniff their crotch... whatever takes his fancy at the time.”  
From over the man’s shoulder, James could see movement.  
“Does he have ears that poke up and about the size of a small bear?” the man points over James’s shoulder.  
James turns to see a very large black dog walking toward them.  
“Paddy! There you are you stupid mutt! You had me worried, you jerk!” he exclaimed in a mocked joy.  
“Hubert!” calls a voice from within. “What’s going on down there?”  
Just before ‘Hubert’ could answer, a wet hand clammed over his mouth, while something sharp feeling poked into his back.  
“You are going to answer, but if you give out the slightest hint we are here, you’re dead,” whispered the stony tone of Severus Snape.  
He removes his hand just enough to let Hubert speak;  
“Just some man trying to find his mutt! Nothing to worry about Dr Orson!”  
“Good man,” said Severus, as he moved his hand back up, and in front of Hubert’s face, curving his fingers where it almost looked like it was clawed; Hubert started to suffocate soundlessly, choking, hands going up to his throat, desperate for breath. His skin starting to look dehydrated and cracked, as the sweat glands went into overdrive.  
Within seconds, Hubert was dead, his body falling, but was caught before he could make a thud on the ground. He wasn’t as solidly built as he was before; instead, he looked almost mummified by how his skin just decomposed due to the dryness and the loss of air.  
He didn’t display it, but Severus was rather pleased to see the stunned, and perhaps partly terrified, expressions on his old classmates’ faces.  
On the other side of the house, Remus had managed to climb the stairs with as much stealth as he could muster. Reaching the window that was just near the door. Easing his way to see what he could, he had to duck down just as fast when he saw one of the persons turn around toward him. He hoped he wasn’t seen.  
He did managed to spot a couple of lit candles, though. But he couldn’t risk it, not until he knew where the children were.  
Heart practically in his mouth, he inched up again, and got a better look.  
Anger laced his yellow tinged eyes; his finger nails now changing into claws. He didn’t really need the full moon to make this transformation. The full moon was for the entire beast, the part that was still in many ways controlled by the blasted curse of being attacked by werewolf, the concoctions he had been placed in with during his entrapment at EWA, made it so he was able to conjure part of that beast at will, and have full control... not that he wasn’t able to control the entire beast now, he can and has, but only for so long. Turning out that the safest ‘people’ were those who weren’t completely human. Didn’t mean Remus still didn’t take precautions, however.  
He heard Dr Orson speaking from elsewhere in the house. He could also just make out a faint sniffling sound.  
Hang in there, kids, we’re coming, he thought to himself.  
His cue came when he heard the man who answered the door call up to inform the doctor on what was going on.  
Remus moved to the door, and lightly scratched on it, enough to hopefully be heard. He heard movement and then the door opened upon, becoming face to face with...  
“Evening, Jocelyn,” he said in a pleasant tone, before grabbing her by the neck, ceasing any attempt for her to do what he knew she was good at when it came to using a particular sound within her voice.  
“Roman...” she choked out. “You must understand...”  
“Save it!” Remus said, forcing Jocelyn to turn around and move ahead of him, keeping a firm grip around the back of her neck, the claws on his hand partly digging in, reminding her just how sharp they were.  
The room they entered in from the door was something of a sitting area, with only a couch and little table – where the lit candles were. They continued through to another door, into a hallway of sorts, where there were a series of doors.  
A near ear piercing scream rang out. One of pain.  
Remus shoved Jocelyn aside, not caring how hard she hit the wall, and bolted toward the doorway he heard it coming from, coming up the stair from the floor below, was Severus, who also heard it. Severus reached at the same time as Remus, but because of the narrow of the gap, Remus being a split second ahead, went through first. But it didn’t matter who entered the room first, for neither one were prepared to see the scene they had entered into. It was fair to say what followed was one that could be one of justification...  
Upon entry, they could see the four Turtles, three of them tied up to chairs, the fourth, Michelangelo, chained down on a table. The twins were in crude looking cribs, they, along with Michelangelo all having evidence of being harmed; Raphael was sporting an angry looking mark on his face after copping a backhand for speaking up.  
Without needing to go into much more detail, it was not a pretty sight to see.  
Dr Orson standing over one of the twins, with what appeared to be a scalpel, or something of a similar design, while he had a few of his White Coat Assistants carrying out whatever their orders were in regard to the other twin and the turtles.  
Both launched forwards.  
Remus grabbing the first White Coat he was closest to, and not even thinking on it, broke her arm after she tried to stop him by pushing him, then smashing her kneecap as she went down in a sheet of pain. While Severus pinched a nerve in another one’s neck, causing him to render unconscious  
In fact, they didn’t kill the White Coats, only simply causing them to make sure they couldn’t get up again. During this, James and Sirius untied the Turtles, something in their heads already dismissing on what the heck they were even seeing... but then they saw Severus and what he did not too long ago so this was perhaps not as alarming.  
“Who are you?” Donatello asks.  
“Friends,” James simply says, with a comforting smile. “We came to help.”  
“Get them out of here!” Remus orders his two friends.  
Sirius managed to scoop the twins up and pass on of them to James, and were about to get them and the Turtles out of there. Jocelyn showed up in the doorway, blocking them in.  
She opened her mouth...  
“Don’t even think about it!” Severus hissed, moving a hand toward her.  
Jocelyn started choking, as he clenched his fist, making her stumbled just enough out of the way to allow for the eight to get out. When they were in the clear, Severus swiped his arm aside, sending Jocelyn slamming into the table that Michelangelo had been tied down upon. Remus quickly went over and knocked her out completely. He didn’t want to hear whatever excuses she had to give.  
Dr Orson was left standing, huddled in a corner, close to one of the cribs the twins were once in.  
“You owe us an explanation!” Severus sneered.  
“I was under orders!” Dr Orson cried, knowing he was no longer in power here. Not by a long shot. “The Ministry... some of them... they know of EWA... they said that the twins being born of two wizards wasn’t meant to happen. The orders were to make them disappear... no matter the cost...”  
“Who made those orders?” Remus demanded.  
Dr Orson shook his head with defiance. “I will speak no names!”  
Severus’s lip curled; “Oh... you will!”  
The names were forced out of Orson, giving ten names in all on who was involved, Remus, by use of burning into a piece of wood, (he used his own wand to conjure a fire), wrote every name that he gave.  
“Is that all?” Severus asks.  
Dr Orson was so messed up, piss all down his pants, an eyeball hanging from the socket, even a few broken fingers. Not to mention the use of air, water, earth and fire... the very powers he placed into Severus and Remus, in the hopes that he would be able to use them for his own twisted gain... or whoever was involved in the entirety of their being the way they were now.  
Oh the irony...  
After a moment, Dr Orson was about to say something, perhaps another name, but all he said was;  
“I regret nothing!”  
An insolent smile upon his lips.  
It was enough for both Remus and Severus to cause his body to burn and liquefy at the same time, using fire and water, as well as a touch of air, to ensure that his screams were ‘caught in his throat’.  
They looked at the still conscious White Coats when they were done, all scared, or rather, literally unable, to move.  
“If you ever, ever dare to come after us, remember what you saw...” Severus warned.  
To drive the message much deeper, Remus caused a fireball to lap around the room, where they each felt the licks of heat.  
With no more need to be there, they quickly made their way out to join the others.  
They saw that they were waiting not too far away...  
Severus’s gut went into a double dose of pang.  
“Something is wrong!” he said.  
When they drew closer, they saw Sirius keeping the Turtles back and holding the twin he was holding, while James was a few centimetres away... trying desperately to perform CPR.  
He saw them coming.  
“She just stopped breathing! I don’t know...” he said, getting to his feet and going to them.  
Severus was the one who took her. Already his face was doing its best to keep it together, as he looked upon his daughter.  
“Freya?” his voice trembles. “Daddy’s here, come on Angelfish.”  
He rubs the tiny girl’s chest, her eyes closed, as though she were sleeping, lips parted a little. Not responding.  
Sirius respectively handed Athena to Remus. Athena whimpers for a moment, until she felt her father’s warmth and familiar smell, then settles.  
Remus approaches Severus and Freya, wrapping a single arm around him, not giving a crap anymore on who was also on the scene.  
“Please, don’t go...”  
Tears rolling down Severus’s cheeks, holding Freya as close as he could possibly hold her. Remus managed to fit Athena in Severus’s arms, too, believing that she ought to be close to her sister, not letting go, helping to balance the two between them; his own tears starting to fall.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _**Intense much...?** _


	7. Cocoon

Chapter Seven  
Cocoon

 

Remus continued to just rub Freya’s teeny chest, while Severus carefully doing his best to breathe into her mouth and nose, doing anything to get life back into her. They could still sense her little heart, but it was faint... slowing down... fighting.  
“Get her into the water,” Remus whispers.  
Severus looks at him, confused. Remus couldn’t give a real explanation.  
“It’s a feeling I am getting,” he says, still fighting back the tears. “Take Athena, she needs to be with Freya.”  
With well practiced hands on holding two at once, Severus supported both their daughters, and going in this trust he had for Remus, he moved toward the river.  
“What is he doing?” Sirius mutters.  
“Is Freya going to be all right?” asks a very worried Leonardo.  
Michelangelo and Raphael were holding each other, Donatello with his arm around Leonardo and his other hand one resting on Michelangelo’s shoulder.  
“I don’t know,” said James, trying to figure out what he was even witnessing; seeing Severus inch into the river, with the twins.  
Remus wasn’t too far behind, staying on the edge where water met land. He uses his wand to summon a small flame into his left hand, knowing he wasn’t going to burn, placed his wand away, kneels down to take some of the mud into his right. With concentration, he was able to bend and manipulate the two to coincide, until he was able to lower his hands, just resting them on the water, where the evolved fiery earth expanded out over the water, giving and almost lava glow look, seeming to be extra bright against the night.  
Severus, by then, was in just enough, so both Freya and Athena were partly emerged. Athena squirmed just for a moment, her eyes opening, looking up her father, let out a soft sound, before relaxing. He knew her gills were being licked and her adaption to the temperature was kicking in. She was also seeming to be ‘holding’ Freya’s hand.  
With just as much concentration, like a light bulb of a hunch, Severus closes his eyes, focusing.  
The fiery earth created something of a ring around the three, Severus could feel the heat, smell the damp, sense the power, as he was able to slowly start to cause the breeze around him and his girls to circulate around them, dance around the ring of fire and earth, mixing carefully to cause the flames and mud to crawl upward, soaking up the water along with it, giving Severus the ability to focus on the other element he had power over, along with air with simultaneousness.  
Blending the four as one, a cocoon of sorts formed, glimmering, sparkling, and surrounding Severus and the twins.  
“Freya!” Severus whispers softly to his nearly lifeless child. “Come back to us... we need you. We love you. Please...”  
A single droplet, which was with an even mix of earth, fire, air and water, drips down from the very pinnacle of the cocoon and lands ever gently upon Freya’s small head, shimmering for a moment, before spreading over the infant, encasing her in this warmth Severus could strongly tell to be safe.  
For a moment, Freya’s entire body was covered head to toe, then melted away, and as her mouth and nose became cleared, the sound of a tiny breath could be heard, followed by a squeal that rang out, seeming to burst the cocoon that surrounded her, Athena and her father, open and outward, causing emeralds, sapphires, rubies and topazes to ‘rain’, landing wherever they found gravity to fall to it. Yet not once hitting anyone, even as Severus walked out of the water, with Athena and Freya both now crying, toward Remus, who placed his arms around them once they were closer, both him and Severus between relieved and more tears flowing.  
They still had their daughters; Freya and Athena.

###

“Splinter!”  
“My Turtles!”  
The Turtles all ran to their father rat, whom was waiting with anxiousness and hope in the Snape-Lupin living room of the house. Relief and joy swept over Splinter, as he did his best to wrap his arms around all four of his sons, who’ve all rushed to him and engulfed him with hugs of their own.  
The travel back to the Snape-Lupin house hold was not without its complications. But they managed, continuing the help from Sirius and James – since they know of Remus’s family home and its location, they just stayed away out of respect... and still much dislike for Severus... for Remus’s wishes to keep the girls out of sight. But this was that time where that barrier needed to drop, just for now, so the Turtles can get back to Splinter, and the two fathers could get their daughters home, safe and sound and care for them, now that the miracle of Freya returning to them had caused them to want to make sure that she and Athena were back where they belonged.  
Sirius and James nearly did have to double take on the sight of Splinter, but like they did when they saw the Turtles for the first time, quickly pushed it away, knowing that there were much worse things in the world, compared to a doting father over his four sons. Even if they are one huge rat and toddler-child sized turtles.  
“Do you need any further help?” James asks Remus and Severus.  
“I think we will be okay, Potter, thank you,” Severus said, uncharacteristically polite to the man he still didn’t like, but his opinion changed... only a little.  
He turns and takes the twins further into the house, heading toward the stairs that were located closer to the back of the hallway.  
Remus remained.  
“I still don’t get it,” Sirius voices. “But, I know to not mess with either of you when it comes to those girls of yours!”  
“Are you sure you don’t need any more help?” James asks.  
Remus shakes his head. “We just need as much quiet as possible, away from people for a bit.”  
“Understood,” said James.  
After a quick round of departing pats on the back, James and Sirius left.  
From the living room, Splinter was attending to his boys. Observing the mark on Raphael’s face and the wounds on Michelangelo, who had near fell in trembles into his father’s arms when he described the horror. (Severus had sent down what Splinter may have needed via use of magic).  
“We will help you to heal and get through this, Michelangelo. Not forgetting your own trauma from this, my sons,” he sooths with tender tone, firmly wrapping his arms around his youngest son and moving closer to the older three. Each of whom managed to fit their small arms around either their father, or their youngest brother, or another brother.  
“If you like, I can set up this space for all you to be able to sleep down here,” Remus makes the offer, seeing just by body language the Turtles were not going to want to be upstairs, away from their father.  
“But what about Santa? He would want us in bed?” Michelangelo sniffs. He looks over to the small Christmas tree that was sitting on the decorated table that he and his brothers helped to set up – after asking Remus and Severus to – to see that there wasn’t anything under or around it. “And he hasn’t come yet.”  
“We didn’t even get to leave the cookies out for him!” Leonardo remembered, glumly.  
“I am sure Santa will understand when he sees four children needing their father,” Splinter says.  
“And it’s not too late to still put out a couple of cookies,” Remus offered. “Why don’t I set this are up, while you go and choose which cookies you want to give to Santa. You know where the jar is.”  
“Can you come with us, Splinter?” Donatello asks.  
“Of course, I can!” says Splinter.  
Splinter guided the four Turtles out of the living area and into the kitchen.  
Remus with a wave of his wand, had the two couches that were facing each other, turn into one large sofa bed and one smaller one, enough to be able to fit the Mutant Family without being too squished, summoning blankets and pillows... and of course Michelangelo’s teddy bear, which they risked to go and retrieve because the poor kid was having terrible nights without him, making sure that comfort was key.  
By the time this was done, Splinter and the Turtles returned from the kitchen, carrying a plate with four different cookies on the plate.  
“That way Santa can pick what he feels like,” said Donatello.  
“I hope he likes the one with the jelly in the middle,” Raphael says, pointing to the short bread with jam dollop.  
“I’m sure he just might,” Remus smiles.  
The plate was placed on the small table near the fireplace, that was now lit, (and gated for safety).  
“Won’t Santa get stuck?” Leonardo asks, seeing the grating.  
“Remember, Santa is like a Wizard, he’s got magic ways of getting around obstacles,” Remus decides to say.  
“Now, it is time for you to call try and get some sleep, my Turtles,” said Splinter.  
“I’m going to go and check of Severus and the girls,” said Remus.  
Splinter just gives a small nod, and returns to his boys, while Remus went on upstairs.  
All the while Remus was helping downstairs, Severus was able to bathe and dress the girls in clean clothing, he tended to the wounds they had received, seeming to know which potions to use, whether they were to be taken orally, or to be for external use.  
By the time Remus was able to join them, he found Severus in his room, propped up on the bed, with both twins on either side of him, facing him, and they were also slightly propped on specially designed pillows, each being fed a bottle.  
No words were exchanged; as Remus entered, closing the door, went over, carefully taking one of their daughters and the bottle she was eating from, and slid next to Severus, as Severus picked up the other daughter and held her close.  
Silence continued as they settled their daughters into the large bassinette Severus had placed in his room, he just didn’t want to be too far away from them, and Remus felt the same way.  
Still without words, Severus went to his en-suite, not even bothering to close that door, stripping down and getting into the shower.  
Remus looked over the girls, peaceful in their sleep, both breathing in perfect sync with each other. Sobs broke him out of the mental overlay his mind was going over. Frowning a little, Remus turns toward the en-suite, approached quietly, then peaked around to see Severus sitting on the floor, knees drawn, hands cradling his head, shoulders visibly shaking.  
Severus, within seconds of the steaming water hitting his skin, everything had come flooding in, the memories of his childhood, the memories of his Hogwarts years and after, where he made the stupidest mistake by joining the Death Eaters, all in the want to belong; the months of Dr Orson and EWA from the brutality of his transformation to the torture he endured; his pregnancy and the trauma from bringing them into the world, (he didn’t regret this, but it was on scarier than he had ever anticipated), then the events that followed causing him to near collapse, trying to suppress his sobs.  
He lost two of his daughters, he nearly lost another.  
It all became too much in that small moment of willing himself to try and relax...  
An arm moved around him, startling him, until he saw that Remus had joined him.  
“Talk to me,” said Remus, softly. Knowing just how much Severus had held back, even while they were in the EWA facility, with parts of his childhood and more...  
Severus opened his mouth and it all came flowing out.

###

Blinking his eyes open, Severus woke to see Remus entering his room, carrying a fresh mug of steaming hot chocolate and setting it carefully on the bedside table.  
“The girls are downstairs,” he says gently, as he sat on the side of the bed, near Severus. “Splinter is watching them, as well as the Turtles, seems to help distract them from the gifts that are surrounding the tree.”  
Severus sat up, sheets slipping down as he did, revealing evidence that he, (or Remus), didn’t bother to get dressed after getting out of the shower. Revealing and opening up on everything took it out of the young man. But he was grateful to have been able to speak it to someone who cared enough... loved him enough... to listen and not judge. Not even when we spoke of the stuff he experienced at the hands of James Potter and Sirius Black. Severus was not innocent, either, he knew that, he was almost worried that Remus would jump up and defend his friends and call him to be a liar, but it didn’t happen, instead, Remus apologised for his own actions in not stepping in whenever he was there in varying moments, and while he cannot change what has happened, he can do what he can to improve.  
“You already have,” Severus said to him.  
By the time he was finished speaking what he could, Severus was exhausted. Remus helped him out of that shower, dry him off and gets him into bed, slipping in with him; deep sleep happened almost immediately.  
Now it was morning, and for the first time, in a long time, even after all that has happened the night before, Severus felt a little lighter. He also had someone finally listen to him, without judgment, without ridicule and with a deep understanding. While Remus may not fully know what it was like to be given the dealings Severus had, he was able to keep an open mind, just like he had for those few hours in the steaming shower. Guess the trauma and dealings of being a werewolf might be part of that.  
“How are you feeling?” Remus then asks, as Severus stretched out a little.  
“I’ll get by,” Severus replies in his typical fashioned tone, but it was with genuine grateful undertone. He sees the mug of steaming hot chocolate, complete with marshmallow and chocolate flakes. “Who made that?”  
“Me,” said Remus.  
Severus took the handle of the mug, picked it up, bringing the rim to his lips and taking a careful sip. The sweetness, the warmth, the smoothness going over his tongue and down his throat, warming his body.  
“Since when have you known to make this?” Severus almost demanded.  
“For as long as I was allowed in the kitchen,” said Remus, smiling.  
“How come you didn’t make this before until now?”  
“Didn’t think to until this morning,” Remus admits. “With so much that has happened over the past few months, a lot of things went on the wayside for a while.” Then after a milliseconds pause adds; “And it’s Christmas. Christmas was never Christmas without a hot chocolate or two. At least it wasn’t when I was growing up.”  
“Maybe something for you to get back in doing, this is better than coffee,” Severus suggests.  
“I thought you didn’t like coffee?”  
“I don’t, but I’ve had a few on separate occasions, made extra sweet so I can drink the stuff!” Severus made a face upon remembering those occasions.  
“You might change your mind if you tried it the way I do it,” Remus teases.  
Severus allowed a smile to escape. “If it’s anything like this hot chocolate, I might consider it.” He takes another sip of the beverage.  
After a few moments of silence.  
“I’ll leave you to get yourself ready to come on down,” Remus then says.  
He goes to get up, only to be stopped by a hand on his forearm. No really knowing what came over him, Severus didn’t want Remus to go... not yet. Not until...  
Slowly, but surely, they shared a kiss. It wasn’t one of the passionate built up sexual tension they once would have had back in the EWA facility, and they hadn’t really shared anything since escaping, except allowing the other to be wrapped in the other’s arms, or just be there for company when needed. This was different. Deep, meaningful... love...

###

“Goody!” cries a very excited Raphael.  
Everyone was now downstairs; all had enjoyed a nice simple breakfast of bacon and toast, except for the girls, as they were still on bottles of specially made formula they had to have. Now, it was time for them to finally open some presents!  
“Slow down!” Splinter calls to his Turtles, who all near on pushed and shoved to get out of the kitchen dining area and into the living area. “Do not touch a thing until we are in there!”  
“Aw!” Raphael protests.  
“I mean it,” said Splinter sternly, following them out.  
“You think Freya and Athena would have the same enthusiasm come the same age?” Remus chuckles.  
“I’d be seriously worried if they weren’t,” says Severus, propping Freya up after she was done with her bottle and placing her against his shoulder, gently rubbing her back.  
Freya held her head up and looked around near wide eyed, then sees Remus. She smiled before she drops her head back down into Severus’s shoulder. So blissfully unaware the panic and fear she sent her fathers through so many hours earlier.  
Athena, so just as unaware, was doing the same, only peeping over Remus’s shoulder, instead.  
They then joined their guests in the living area, where the Turtles were getting in rather close to the tree and table. It was already decided that Remus was to be handing out the presents; placing Athena in her bouncer right next to him before doing so.  
“Who gets the first present?” Leonardo asks, eagerly.  
“I believe your Sensei ought to have that honour,” said Remus, picking up the first of the neatly arranged piles and giving it to Splinter.  
For the next however long it took, gifts were opened. The Turtles were given the same number of gifts, some of the same to similar items, some that fit each of their own personalities. Donatello getting his own beginner potion making kit, for example, one suited for a child his age, but one that may give him a challenge, which he craved, with his love for learning. Leonardo received Lego, Raphael a race car and Michelangelo cheered when he got his very first, much begged for, skateboard.  
The twins completely oblivious to their gifts, which included two small canvases that the Turtles did for them, under strong supervision from Splinter.  
“That’ll explain the request for paint and other supplies,” Remus was impressed.  
When everything was unwrapped and tidied away, the rest of the day was spent enjoying hot chocolate, a delicious Christmas lunch and playing games.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _**You didn’t really think I was going to allow Freya to die did you?** _


	8. Discussions

Chapter Eight  
Discussions

 

Over the course of the next few months it was almost business as usual for Remus, Severus and Splinter.  
With help from Remus and Severus, Splinter and his Turtles were able to locate a new suitable home in the New York City underground, as they couldn’t risk returning to their old Lair. For added measure Remus and Severus placed varying charms for security and protection, where only certain invited company was allowed, or they’re given permission to pass by Splinter and in time the Turtles, when they are old enough to make those critical decisions.  
There was also added security upon the Snape-Lupin household; they didn’t want to risk another kidnapping. Not after there was a blaring report in the Daily Prophet where the survivors of the ‘Watermill Massacre’ all spoke of what had happened to their respected colleague and friend, Dr Leroy Orson... speaking how he only wanted to help the two little girls he rescued from their abusive home, and look after the four turtle children that were found residing there.  
Remus nearly choked on his morning coffee when he read it, showing Severus to get him aware.  
Saving grace was perhaps the immediate support they received from Remus’s friends, James Potter and Sirius Black, who were there at the Watermill, they practically verbally abused the report and those who wrote the scathing word toward Severus and Remus.  
“Mess with those kids of theirs and you would feel your last breath being sucked out of you,” James answers to a reporter who tracked him and his family down, demanding he apologise for his words against the reporters on the story. “As for apologising, why should I? If someone did that to my Harry, you can bet your arses I would break their necks! Now piss off!”  
It wasn’t long after that report, however, that he, Lily and Harry had to go into hiding – the threat of the Dark Lord was still at hand. Something the full exposure of Severus and Remus, thanks to the Daily Prophet, didn’t help in matters; because it seemed to allow Voldemort to now truly demand a visual of ‘the two miracle daughters born of two wizards’, as quoted from the newspaper.  
“I don’t know what to do,” said Severus, truly uncertain of how to allow, or even refuse, the Dark Lord.  
“What of the other Death Eaters?” Splinter asks.  
“I wish I could give a full account. I only know Bellatrix Lestrange wants them in her care,” Severus replies, frowning deeply at this knowledge.  
“Bellatrix?” Remus exclaimed.  
Severus shakes his head. “I don’t know why.”  
“She would be as bad as EWA,” said Remus.  
“As if I hadn’t thought of that.”  
“What has this Dark Lord said if you refuse?” said Splinter.  
“I don’t want to know that consequence,” said Severus, rubbing his temple. “They know of you being a werewolf, Moony, the packs have all sensed something different about you, informing the Dark Lord of such. Theory is you’re the one who bore our girls.”  
“One way to get the heat off you, for a bit,” Remus quipped lightly.  
“Shut up!” Severus returns, just as lightly.  
Since that night and the Christmas morning they shared that kiss, all just fell into place, it seemed for the two men. They knew Splinter didn’t judge on this knowledge, if anything became just as protective of them if anyone tried to say or do anything, but, perhaps it was only amped up because of what happened to their children, he worried they would be taken again.  
The Turtles were still affected by it.  
“I hate to say it, but you may need to get it over with,” Remus said warily.  
“I just want to know how it reached the Prophet,” said Severus. “We should have wiped their memories!”  
“Hindsight, Sev,” said Remus. “We also have Albus Dumbledore on our backs, as well as... You-Know-Who...”  
Remus didn’t say the known ‘You-Know-Who’ alias many had given Voldemort, because he was afraid of the name, more out of respect for Severus, who shudders every time he hears it, opting to refer him as ‘the Dark Lord’ each time, out of habit.  
“What does he want?” Severus grimaces.  
“Seems to believe now the entire Wizard world knows of the two fathered children, we shouldn’t have to keep them hidden anymore,” Remus sighs.  
“Tell him that the exposing of what happened is doing to opposite of what he’s wanting us to do!”  
“I told him that. But he’s adamant.”  
“I really do not understand what the hype is over your daughters,” Splinter voices. “Why do people need to see or know about them?”  
“Truth? We have no idea to be honest. Considering same sex couples don’t get as bad of a rap as those in the Muggle community... doesn’t always crop up as being obvious, but, then there are generally no children involved,” said Severus. “Okay, the last time a man gave birth from a same sex coupling happened back in the middle of the 1800s, but much like now, they were bombarded, against their wishes, to the point they packed up their children and went into hiding. There are a lot of theories that surround it, but the point is, wizard born children are very, very rare. We don’t know how it happened back then; we can only speculate how it happened to us in the now.”  
“I think much like you and your boys if they were to be fully exposed. It was luck that the Daily Prophet only glossed over them and nothing more; James and Sirius did a very good job in covering that up, explaining they were just kids to dress up in their early Christmas presents,” says Remus.  
Splinter nods, knowing what James Potter and Sirius Black had done to keep him and the Turtles safe. Even when the White Coats tried to say otherwise, they were forcefully gagged into silence... or rather threatened, when Severus, himself, tracked a couple of them down whilst he was on some assignment as ‘a loyal servant’ to the Dark Lord, Voldemort.  
“Too bad the same couldn’t be said for us and our daughters,” said Severus, unhappily.  
“You could do what those who wizards you just mentioned did?” Splinter suggested.  
Both shook their heads, as Remus speaks. “We’re stuck in the situations we’re already in. Sev is bound by the dark mark in his arm, as much as he wanted to run, he cannot at this point, it’s a death sentence and Death Eaters always have an uncanny ability to find whomever it is they want to find, no matter what part of the world they try to hide in. I am also stuck with the orders I have from the Order. Not something you can step away from lightly. Not for the same reasons as Severus might with his situation, but it’s best not to make enemies where it can be avoided.  
“Also someone we know, Minerva McGonagall, is really doing her best to defend our stance on Dumbledore’s want to show off our daughters. She doesn’t believe there is a need to draw attention to them, even after the reports of what has happened. She’s been that way since before the first time they were taken from us. She may not have seen the girls, well, not in person, I did give her the privilege of having a photo, as she politely asked, but she has always had a strong view on children and their welfare. Even if others go against what she advises a lot of the time, predominantly Dumbledore and any who are in his closer circle.”  
“Are you not in that inner circle?”  
“Far from it,” said Remus. “Yes, I am a member, like so many others, but there are only a few who are right in on what Dumbledore knows, delegates and why. The rest just get what we’re allowed to be told and who to share it with.”  
Splinter gives an uncomfortable expression upon this information. “It does not sit well with me, knowing that various people have put it upon themselves to dictate on what everyone else ought to do, without regard for the persons they’re involving. Someone must have known enough to do what they did to your daughters, for example. Kidnapping them. Twice! Placing them in serious danger in both cases, nearly losing one of them, sheer chance you were able to pull of whatever it is you did, from what I’ve been told by you,” he says to Severus and Remus.  
“We’re still trying to put the pieces together. I mean we have some of the names given to us. We just don’t know what to do about it as of yet,” said Severus. “In the meantime, we have people doing their hardest to force us to show Athena and Freya.”  
“You shouldn’t have to be forced to reveal them, when you have the rights to say no,” said Splinter. “Surely there is a law that protects parents from such matters as this.”  
“We’re already being accused of abusing our daughters as it is. The threat of taking them by force is high,” said Remus, grimly.  
“Damned if we show them off, damned if we don’t,” Severus adds, just as bleakly.  
“Do it on your terms then,” Splinter then suggested.  
“How do you mean?”  
“I mean, if people really want to see Freya and Athena, you choose the settings and whatever else. From what my Turtles have said about some of the powers you’ve shown; why not use that to your advantage as well?”  
It certainly gave something for Remus and Severus to think about.

###

“What do you mean you will not be showing them to the Order?” Dumbledore asks, frowning deeply. “Haven’t I given you good reasons as to why you need to heed my words in ensuring their safety?”  
“We’ve considered what you’ve been saying, certainly, Albus,” said Severus in his monotone tune. “But Remus and I have to consider what is best for our daughters, whether others agree to it, or not. We will not be revealing them to the Order, or really to the public for that matter, until they were much older than they are now. Whatever age that maybe, we do not know, we haven’t decided on an agreeable age.”  
“They may not be seen until they’re eleven... that is if we choose to have them attend here, at Hogwarts,” said Remus.  
Dumbledore stared at the two men from where he sat at his grand desk, within his office at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  
“I give you a job, Severus, and this is how you repay me?”  
“Oh please, you and I both know why you gave me the position of Potions Master and Head of Slytherin, so don’t you dare think otherwise,” Severus frowns deeply. He sees a slight confused expression on Remus’s face. “I’ll explain later.”  
“You do know people are wishing to take them away from you?” Dumbledore explains.  
“Why? Because they’re being raised by two fathers, instead of a mother and a father?” Severus sneered. “If they’re that concerned, they should have seen how close we came to losing Freya because of those White Coats! Look into them... I’ve noticed that they’ve now got someone new in charge. Why doesn’t the Ministry have any concern for what they’re doing?”  
“Because these people have nothing to do with us,” Dumbledore said simply.  
“Sure they don’t. What were we? Chopped liver?”  
“I think it was a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time and that is how you ended up with them. But as a whole they have nothing to do with the Wizard society,” the old man’s voice was calm and none moving.  
“So, Marco Blythe, Bastian Fudge, Niles Pritchard and a few other names we know of had nothing to do with what’s happened to us, to others...?”  
Dumbledore shakes his head. “You’re clutching straws, Severus.”  
Severus looks over at Remus, who reached over into his carry bag and pulled out a nice stack of classified documents and, by the look of it, voice recordings.  
“Where did you get those?” Dumbledore pales at the sight of them as they were placed on his desk.  
“Before the unfortunate death of Dr Orson, we got as many names as we could gather out of him, as well as any useful information he was able to provide,” said Severus, nearly bored. “For the past number of months, Remus and I have been doing some digging and researching... and tracking down...”  
Dumbledore’s brilliant blue eyes widened. “You...” he went to say it, but refrained.  
“Yes, Dumbledore?” said Severus, almost goading the older man to continue.  
Unable to find the words, Dumbledore just sighs.  
Reports of various members of the Ministry and important businesspeople mysteriously, almost one after another, started taking their lives... or gone have completely inconsolable to the point of being deeply mute or insane, where they had to be placed in psych wards in varying hospitals around the globe... or just disappeared all together without a word.  
It was so bad that certain measures were made to protect the ones still standing. Blaming it on Voldemort and the Death Eaters, as they had truly risen to power now in the month of July.  
Yet it was the way Severus and Remus were holding themselves, in front of Dumbledore, which caused the older man to realise that, though he knew full well that he could not prove it, nor had a chance of trying, these two men may have had some influence over how these Ministry and Business members came to be in the states they wound up in.  
“Have you allowed Voldemort a viewing of your daughters?” Dumbledore then decides to ask.  
“That is none of your concern,” said Severus, shaking his head, crossing his arms across his chest, it was at that moment, Dumbledore saw a glint of some sort of metal on his newly appointed Potions Master’s left hand.  
He swept his eyes over and saw, on Remus’s left ring finger, a ring of white and yellow gold...  
“When... did... you...?”  
“When did we what?” Remus raised his brows a little.  
“Legally become husbands?”  
Severus and Remus were pleased to see that Dumbledore had truly been out of the loop on their union. They only had a handful of witnesses, whom they believed would not spread anything, until it had to be.  
Marriages between two Wizards, or even two Witches, were not illegal in their world. Rare, but it didn’t matter; they still had the same protections and bindings as any other married couple.  
“Does it matter?” said Remus.  
A small exhale of a sigh, Dumbledore shakes his head. He knew that with them legally bound, it was going to be even tougher for him to persuade them to show their girls to the Order, or whomever, because they would have placed some ironclad protection upon them during their union, not that they needed to be legally married to do this, as there were ways of having the same protections toward the children without it, the sealing of their daughters under true legal names, (no longer rendering them ‘bastards’), they cannot be touched.  
Meaning, anyone who was threatening to take them away from Severus and Remus, never mind there was no evidence of abuse whatsoever, couldn’t do it without solid good reason or hard on proof.  
They even have the right to do what they need to in order to raise their children. They had rights before, but they learned how difficult it was when they were both seen as single, where the Wizarding community seemed to want to make it difficult for them to allow for such rights... seems to be a trend, so they’ve learned amongst other single parents. Different if widowed, because they’re still seen as protected by marriage laws.  
Also neither man could deny that they felt that not only was it the right choice for their family, but for each other. They did love each other and in the end, that’s what seemed to matter just as much as their wanting to look out for their daughters.  
“Now that is out of the way,” said Severus, deciding that the discussion over their daughters and what has happened in the past was closed for now. “Unless you anything more that I need to know about my official start to teaching the students at the start of this school year, I believe that we are done here.”  
“No...” said Dumbledore, quietly. “No more to add.”

###

Cold sweat beaded his forehead as he snapped awake and shot up. His breathing was rugged and heart pumping.  
“Sev?” a tired voice speaks.  
Remus turns on the lamp to see his partner shaking.  
“I’m fine!” Severus lies, trying to calm his breathing. “Go back to sleep.”  
He knew that it wasn’t going to brush Remus away that easily, feeling his arms going around him.  
“Another nightmare?”  
Severus could only nod his response, unable to voice exactly what it was he saw, only that it was just plain horrible.  
“That’s the third night in a row,” said Remus, softly getting Severus to look at him. “I think dreamless sleep may be needed again.”  
“No!” said Severus, almost too strongly. “I... I’ll be fine...”  
The worry didn’t leave Remus’s eyes. “Are you sure? Would you like to talk about it?”  
“I can’t,” Severus strained. “I want to, but... I don’t know how to voice it right now.”  
Seeming to understand enough and know to not push it, Remus places a tender kiss upon Severus’s forehead.  
“When you are, you know I’m all ears,” he sooths to his partner.  
A whimpering sound came from outside their bedroom door.  
“Seems I’m not the only one who’s having bad dreams tonight,” Severus mused.  
“I’ll sort it out,” Remus offers.  
“If you must, bring her in,” said Severus.  
Remus gets out of the bed and exits out of the room. Severus lay back down and counted the minutes his partner was out of the room, tending to whichever of their daughters had stirred.  
Twenty minutes later, Remus re-entered, but he didn’t come back alone, in each arm were their eleven month old daughters, certainly no longer the tiny babies they once were.  
Their hair was still darkish blonde, just showing heaps more of it on each of their heads; their faces were becoming more defined in featuring both of their parents, inheriting Remus’s blue eyes, but they have noticed that Athena had amber and violet flecks within her irises, whilst Freya’s was showing flecks of ebony... just like Severus’s eye colour. Their eyes were, perhaps, the only way to really tell the girls apart, because their noses, (which were both an interesting mix of hooked and straight, small and cute, suiting them just nicely), chins, everything, was identical. They even had the same set of front teeth, two on the top and two on the bottom, with evidence of a few more starting to make their way through.  
“Freya woke up as I was sorting out Athena, so I figured they both may as well come join us,” said Remus, with a small smile, he also had a pair of bottles. The twins didn’t really need late night feeds anymore, but they always settle down best with one, plus who hasn’t had the case of the midnight munchies ever now and again?  
Severus sat up again, so he could take one of them into his own arms. Athena was quick to snuggle against his chest, taking her bottle from him, her fingers holding onto his fingers, not wanting him to let go of it. She was always like this, still wanting that guiding hand, whereas Freya just rips the bottle out of Remus’s hand and shoves in her mouth and plonks right back into the pillows, (and Remus’s arm), spread out as much as she could go, causing chuckles from Severus and Remus, thinking ‘typical little Angelfish’.  
Having them in their room calmed Severus much quicker than he thought. Perhaps it was the welcoming distraction they provided for him.  
“To think in a month’s time, they’re going to be a year old,” Severus mused aloud.  
“Mmm,” Remus responds now that his mind was on it. “I think the Turtles have been asking if we were going to give them a party. I know Michelangelo has been offering to organise the music.”  
Severus snorts with laughter. “I think after helping Splinter to celebrate their fifth birthday back in May, he just wants an excuse to have another one.”  
“I don’t blame him,” said Remus. “He did offer to help.”  
“For a five year old I was half expecting to hear nursery rhymes, not Aerosmith and Chumbacka,” said Severus.  
It was Remus’s turn to laugh. “Chumbawamba,” he corrects.  
“Whatever.”  
“Remember, that’s not just Michelangelo listening to stuff one may not have thought children would listen to,” Remus says. “As well disciplined as they are by Splinter, he hasn’t stopped their curiosity to explore. He sets limits, as you know, but it is helping them grow.”  
“I know. I have Donatello pestering me to let him in the potions lab, in this belief that potions is like chemistry for science.”  
“He’s not exactly wrong when you think about it,” said Remus. “Chemistry is dealing with different elements and whatever else... I think it does... science is so not my strong suit, which is probably why I sucked at potions...”  
“It’s like following a recipe! You cook better than I do!”  
“Yet get me near a cauldron and I blow it up, you’ve seen that happen way too many times in class.”  
Severus saw his point. He then feels a slight wet spot on his shirt, looks down to see Athena had crashed, her bottle had slipped out of her mouth and Severus had absentmindedly let it slip until he felt the liquid going through the material.  
“One down,” he said, placing the bottle on his bedside table.  
“One slowly following,” Remus concludes, seeing Freya starting to close her eyes, fighting it a little.  
“I am glad we took the steps we did,” Severus then mentions.  
Remus nods lightly, not needing his partner to go into detail. “I am, too.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _A/N: This fiction doesn’t really have an actual year/date, even with the passing time, as mentioned in the earlier notes. But I think with some of the pop culture references that may come up will sort of give hints on which era to probably look at. There might be an actual clue or two a little further down, especially as Freya, Athena and the Turtles grow up. I know that this seems to sway more in the Harry Potter world, but I will be doing my best to keep a balance – also that there are likely to be branch stories tied to this one, or a probable sequel, depending on how this fiction goes and its continuum.  
>  I hope you are enjoying what you’re reading so far, let me know via review if you wish. In the meantime, hope you’re doing well._


	9. Uncertainty

Chapter Nine  
Uncertainty

 

A month passes by...  
“Did you hear?”  
“Hear what?”  
“About that huge company, what was the name? EW-something?”  
“EWATGRI?”  
“Yeah! Them!”  
“About their collapsing into disappearance after too many of their workers either died by suicide or went nuts, rendering the whole thing cursed and many, but a few, no longer willing to touch work the area.”  
“So, you’ve heard?”  
“Heard what?”  
The whispers were buzzing about not only in the Muggle world, but also the Wizard one. Because of the company having dealings with both magical and non-magical, and once being so recognised, it did come as a real surprise by many to learn of this news.  
It was Splinter who told Remus and Severus about what had happened, as it appeared that the news was more widespread and more ‘detailed’ in the Muggle world, than the Wizard one.  
“Explains why I got that visit from a couple of members from the Ministry, whilst I was setting up my new office,” said Severus, who had been going back and forth between the home he shared with Remus and Hogwarts to organise himself to start his new job as Professor. It wasn’t something he thought he would do, nor would he have agreed to do if he didn’t have any other choice.  
“As well as their attempt to cross the protective barrier that’s marked within the forest,” said Remus, nodding toward the mass of trees that surrounded the property, before resuming in chopping up the salami. (They were in the kitchen and dining area, where Remus was doing food prep).  
Both Remus and Severus told the other of what had happened on both their accounts. Equally assured that the measures they’ve taken to protect their home works, as well as bemused as to why the ministry members were even allowed to interrogate Severus in the first place.  
“I have a feeling that this isn’t over,” said Splinter, seated on one of the dining chairs. “You are still in high danger.”  
“We are very aware of that, Splinter,” said Severus, who was standing by the door that exits out to the back of the house, with the door pinned back.  
Remus explains more, resting the knife for a moment; “That is why we have made it so that our girls won’t be leaving our property until they are aged five. Unless they have been placed in your care in New York City, again with the same measures of protection we’ve placed. We have Minerva McGonagall on our side, as you know, she’s never agreed with Dumbledore in his view on showing off the girls, so has agreed to help us where she can. Knowing that it would just allow for some excuse for whoever is after them to try and get to them even more if they knew what they actually looked like.  
“Just unfortunate that we cannot ask for James and Lily to help, even if they are on our side, as we have no idea where they’ve been hidden, because of the threat they’ve been put under from You-Know-Who. Plus the added fact we can’t really bring in either Sirius or Peter because, probably for the same reasons toward me, someone close to James and Lily is trying to sabotage them and it’s like there is distrust that is now in place. Frustrating really.”  
“So, I take it you are not secret keeper?” Severus asks.  
“What do you think?” Remus makes a small frown, as if it ought to be obvious, and then went back to prepping, moving on to the kabana.  
Just then Severus looked out to where the kids were playing and started laughing.  
“I think a much needed bath is needed,” he says, placing his face into his palm.  
“Why?” asks Splinter, getting up to see for himself.  
Just as curious, Remus, (after placing the knife on the bench), went over too.  
“Athena!” cry the Turtles, in a mix of laughter and uncertainty, trying to cover their faces.  
“WWWEEE!” Freya calls, holding her hands up and dancing about all excited, her twin all in giggles.  
They were all covered in mud, and Athena seemed to be the one who was causing it to go up in the air and ‘rain’, but on closer look Freya was also ‘helping’ by ‘controlling’ the air.  
“Not even a full day after they turn one, their powers kick in!” says Remus, not sure whether to be worried or amused, while Severus was holding his sides with laughter. “Remember to breathe, Sev.”  
“I think we ought to rescue my Turtles,” Splinter chuckles at the sight of his poor sons trying to get away from the mud rain, but with the girls knowing out to walk, Freya, especially being the first to figure out how to run, and both believing the boys were playing, found it difficult.  
Turns out being able to have cease their daughters powers was a lot easier than they thought, Severus was able to quell Freya’s air power with a simple wave of the hand, overpowering her little breeze, while Remus ‘collected’ the airborne mud and set it down, before scooping up the very pleased pair of girls.  
“We can honestly say we had nothing to do with it!” said Raphael, holding his hands up to chest height.  
“I saw the whole thing from the door, I know you didn’t,” said Severus.  
The Turtles were a little notorious for being a little rowdy, boisterous and get into trouble. But they were children and they were, as a whole, well rounded and understood when they were being faced with a consequence.  
“But you are going to need to get yourselves washed up,” said Splinter.  
“You four can use the downstairs bathroom,” Remus suggests. “Lucky there are fresh towels in there.”  
“And the shower is large enough,” Severus adds.  
Long story short, the Snape-Lupin homestead has had a fair number of modifications, adding on, or changing what was seen of much needed use, such as the bathroom downstairs, and making a room for Splinter and expanding the room for the Turtles whenever they stayed, and even a potions room for Severus. Just to name a few.  
“What about our bandannas?” Leonardo asks.  
“They can easily be washed, Leonardo,” Severus assures.  
The children were all herded inside, tracking muddy footprints through the area.  
“Oh yum! Salami! Capsicum! Is that olives?” Michelangelo cries, seeing the food.  
“Indeed they are,” said Remus.  
“What are you making?” Donatello asks.  
“You’ll find out after you’ve had your showers,” said Remus.  
“I’ll get these two upstairs and cleaned up,” said Severus, taking the twins from Remus, so he could finish doing what he was doing.  
Remus went and washed his hands before returning to cutting up the kabana. He also made the mud tracks vanish without a trace.  
Splinter supervised his Turtles, making sure they didn’t make too much of a mess of the water and soap and any mud that was coming off. Thankfully it was easy enough to wash away, and the Turtles never turn down the chance to be in water where can.  
Nor, it seems, do the twins, when they were placed in the bath by their father. Their gills livened up when they hit the clear lukewarm liquid; Athena would even attempt to go under on occasion, but couldn’t quite figure out how to ‘breathe’, so Severus or Remus would simply make sure she was sat up quickly once she hits face down. Freya wasn’t as sure on the idea of what her sister was doing, simply getting wet was enough.  
Severus, because it was water, no matter that it was in a bath, felt calm when his hands touched it. He didn’t mind getting splashed by his water loving babies, he often welcomed it. Remus, on the other hand, sees the funny side a lot of the time, didn’t exactly enjoy having a messy bathroom, if anything he HATES having a messy bathroom! Severus learned this quickly, teases him about it every now and again.  
Back downstairs, the Turtles were all squeaky clean, out of their bandannas and other gear, because they were mud covered, but Severus and Remus have babysat them enough times to know who was who.  
“I’ve placed their belongings in the little hamper near the sink,” Splinter informs Remus.  
“Pizza!” the four Turtles cried with excitement, before Remus could reply.  
“All good, Splinter,” Remus goes to say, before addressing the boys; “Not just any pizza. See those bases over there?” He points to the trays of small pizza dough lying flat ready in wait.  
“Yeah?”  
“You will be getting to pick your own toppings; there is enough for each of you to have three,” said Remus.  
“But what about Freya and Athena? Aren’t they having pizza, too?” Michelangelo asks.  
“Or you?” said Donatello.  
Remus shakes his head. “Freya and Athena will have something else, as will your Sensei, Severus and myself.”  
“Are you sure you don’t want any pizza?” Leonardo asks; seeming to think it was a little unfair that the adults had to miss out.  
Remus gives a small laugh. “I am sure.”  
While Splinter and Remus helped the Turtles sort out the toppings for their pizzas, Severus re-entered in the room, with beautifully cleaned twin daughters in each arm.  
One thing the two fathers made a point in was, even though they were identical, they were not going to be dressed head to toe in the same ridiculous outfits. They didn’t see the point or need. So, Athena was dressed in a soft blue and white one-piece, while Freya was in a pale green and yellow one. He places them into their highchairs that were at the dining table.  
“So, what are you having for lunch?” asks Raphael.  
“Sweet chicken curry and rice,” said Remus, indicating to the cooker.  
“That explains the nice smell,” said Donatello. “Wouldn’t that be too hot for Athena and Freya, though?”  
“They’re getting fruit salad,” said Remus, showing the two bowls of cut up fruit, with dollops of custard.  
“Speaking of, watch out for Athena with the bananas, she’s eating them like tomorrow, while Freya thinks they’re good for throwing,” Severus comments. “At least that is what I seem to get every time I give them banana.”  
“Duly noted.”  
Remus then spied Severus closing his eyes for a moment, taking in a deep breath, as though to try and keep himself together. He waited until Splinter was helping the Turtles be seated at the table, waiting for their little pizzas to cook, and Severus was beside him.  
“Are you okay?”  
Severus just nods, a sign he didn’t want to discuss it. Remus knew enough to not push it, knowing that he was something that had to wait. A sudden sense, however, couldn’t go unmissed, Remus couldn’t make sense of it, but he saw that Severus was, again, trying to get a grip.  
The distraction of lunch was a help. Severus focusing on helping Athena with her fruit and custard, she can feed herself, but still likes either of her fathers to assist, whereas Freya was fiercely independent, wanting to do it all on her own! Being that way since five months old when she first started trying to hold her own bottle... not doing so well, still needed her Daddy to help her, but she was determined. Just as she was now, holding her spoon, trying to get the custard on it and get in her mouth, making a nice mess on her face as she slightly missed, and grabbing her fruit with the other hand, shoving the healthy goodness in.  
Athena was pretty chilled back and just opened her mouth when she wanted more, now and again taking the spoon for herself.  
The Turtles devoured their pizzas with satisfaction; the sweet chicken curry was just as nice.  
“May I try a little?” Leonardo asks, looking at the curry.  
“Yeah, can I too?” ring his brothers.  
Unable to refuse the request for the Turtles want to try new foods, and when Splinter said yes, Remus got four small sauce bowls, put a bit of the curry and rice on each one, before giving them to the boys.  
Raphael made an instant face. “Yuck!” Then... “OW! OW! HOT!”  
Splinter handed him a piece of bread. “This will help it.”  
The five year old looks over to see Athena and Freya giggling at him, thinking he was dancing when he was waving his hands to cool his mouth down, for they were trying to do the same thing.  
“It’s not that hot!” Leonardo exclaims. Michelangelo agrees with his oldest brother.  
“It’s not too bad,” says Donatello, who also made a face. “Not as hot as Raphael probably feels it, but I am not fond of it.”  
“And that is okay to not like something, Donatello, same goes with you Raphael,” said Splinter, kindly. “You gave it a try, that’s what matters.”  
“Not everyone likes anything with heat in it, even at its mildest, which is what I’ve made this at,” said Remus. “Also, some are more sensitive to heated foods, at least you know for when it comes to curries, Raph on what you can handle.”  
“Yeah! Couldn’t handle the heat!” Michelangelo jokes.  
Raphael glares at his little brother. “Shut up!”  
“Alright, enough of that,” said Splinter.  
Soon, lunch was over and it was time for Splinter’s compulsory two hour quiet time upon his Turtles, where they can nap, read or choose a quiet activity. It was also nap time for the twins, both of whom had started rubbing their eyes and displaying they were tired.  
Splinter herded his sons to their room, located downstairs, while Remus and Severus took their daughters upstairs – well after giving a very pleased Freya a good wipe down after thinking it was a good idea to see if her bowl would make a good hat, getting custard and fruit chunks in her hair.  
Once he was sure Athena was fast asleep, which didn’t take too long, Severus left the room, leaving Remus with Freya, who as starting to follow her sister into the land of snooze.  
Severus slips into the room he and Remus now share, which they’ve been sharing since they made their declaration of husband and husband, closed the door and strips his clothes off. As he did, he saw his complete naked reflection in the mirror of the wardrobe door that had been left hope, doing his best to not drop his jaw, and understand what he was seeing.  
His scales that were once blended into his natural pale skin were now a shining mix of silver, green, blue and purple, blending equally and beautifully. His gills were standing out because of this. To add, the scales were starting to show up even more where they were usually more blended in, his temples, his joints, down his spine. He remembered the last time he saw himself with this beautiful display. He won’t deny that he admired it... but...  
The door opened up, Remus enters and sees his partner, with wet cheeks from tears, trying not to crack.  
Severus looks at Remus, struggling to find the words, lips trembling.  
“I... I... I don’t...” he tries.  
Immediately, Remus closes the door and goes over and wraps his arms around Severus.  
“Shh!” he sooths.  
“I want to... but... I...”  
Remus makes Severus look at him, his blue eyes right in his partner’s ebony.  
“Then I won’t,” he said firmly. “We are not in EWA, Severus. We know what this means now, we can find ways to get around this and not end up having more.”  
“I still don’t regret letting you in... I don’t... I love our girls... I do... but...!”  
Pulling him closer, Remus exhales heavily, heart sore knowing that Severus was freaking out over the fact that he was ‘presenting himself’ via his alluring scales, partly erect and the scent that Remus remembered so very well from...  
Severus could feel Remus’s breathing starting to ramp up a little.  
“If you... if you want...”  
Remus shakes his head before Severus could finish saying what he had to.  
“No, Sev,” he manages to say in between his own trying to get it together. “No one is here to force it.”  
“I just want it to stop! Started getting this sensation for two days, now this! I don’t know what to do, Moony! I don’t want to be pregnant again! I don’t! Yeah! If it did happen, fine, but...”  
Again Remus got him to stop.  
“You want it to stop?” he asks carefully. He ponder over the fact that Severus had been fighting this for the past forty-eight or so hours, (which would explain a few things, such as the extra cosiness and the fondling and, of course, trying to keep a lid on just how much more this happened to be).  
“Yes!”  
Seeing how mixed Severus was, being scared, confused, wanting sex and needing his partner’s comfort, Remus had to think fast. Neither one knew exactly how long Severus was going to be like this, because the last time, which was the first time it’s happened, resulted in the conception of their daughters. By then Severus’s colours had faded down a little when that happened, but not completely, and he wasn’t interested in being laid, nor Remus looking to climb on to him anymore.  
“Where do you want to do this? Shower? Bed?” Remus asks, as he gently snakes his hand down. “Do you want this?”  
Severus closes his eyes, the feel of light fingers going along his length; Remus could feel himself hardening within his pants.  
No words were exchanged, as Severus just backs up to the bed; Remus starts to strip down, as he moved in to join. Their lips met, deeply, passionately, like a fire that hadn’t been stroked for so long. Remus feels his partner tugging at his pants, and a hand sliding between his legs once they were down enough. He could still sense the hesitation, the confusion.  
“Severus!” Remus whispers, pulling the hand away, and holding it away, while resting his other hand softly on Severus’s cheek and jaw line. “Do you really want this?”  
Severus went to try and answer, but failed, his thoughts on this going a million miles a minute. He felt that he wanted this. He really did want his partner. Yet... with everything coming back, confusion on what he really wanted was high.  
Remus tried to read him, Severus was excellent at Occlumency, even Legilimency, but he knew how to tap into something he couldn’t fully suppress, and that was his emotions, his chemistry, senses. Severus also tended to breakdown his walls with Remus, so it didn’t take much for him to be able to glimpse at a hint of what was troubling his partner.  
_I don’t know what I want_ , Remus read, before he felt Severus starting to shake.  
Remus slid off and lay right up close to Severus, pulling him in firmly.  
_Let me help you_ , he mentally speaks, nuzzling softly into the crook of Severus’s neck and shoulder. _Please._  
Severus, still with his head in a muddle, tears once again rolling, stuck in how to deal with what his body wants him to do, and what his head and heart wanted, takes Remus’s hand and slowly guides it to his genitals, particularly helping the fingers to locate a certain area, just behind his scrotum.  
It was Remus to nearly be unsure.  
_It’s what ‘opened up’ for you last time... and delivered our girls into the world. I didn’t know how to tell you that it’s appeared again. I didn’t know what you’d think... or do... I don’t even know what the fuck I am anymore,_ Severus telepathically spoke, lowering his head more into the pillow, (he was lying with his back against Remus).  
Now Remus understood the confusion and fear that his partner was radiating. In all the time they believed that Remus had entered Severus and impregnated him through the arse, discovering this little, perhaps better explained detail...  
_It closed up after my body was sure that I was going to have you fertilise whatever I was producing to conceive our daughters, at least I think that is why it did it, and it opened up two days leading up to when the girls were born, you saw them coming out of it._  
Severus could still feel his tears; he didn’t want to have Remus seeing him like this.  
But Remus moves to prop himself up on his elbow and manage to convince Severus to turn around and look at him.  
“First, I still remember watching those girls coming out of you. I didn’t question how, or why it was possible on how you were able to get them out of you, and I am not about to question it now. All I cared about back then, was all five of you surviving through the ordeal. It is the same way I would feel if it were to ever happen again,” he says to his partner, tenderly and firmly.  
“Second,” as he softly places a kiss on to Severus’s nose, “you are,” kissing his jaw line, “my legally wedded husband,” now kissing the neck, shoulder area, “Severus Tobias Snape, and that is never going to change... because I love you.  
“Third,” now looking back at Severus in the eye, “you’re not a freak... yes, I heard it in undertone. Okay, this was a bit of a surprise, but it doesn’t change how I feel about you, as I’ve explained in my second point. Also, I will never, ever, force you to become pregnant, if that is what you want. We can deal with this little phase we now know happens, as they come along.”  
Remus gives a small smile, as he lowers once more; Severus felt his arms going up and around him, as their lips met.  
Severus then hears Remus whisper; “We can also explore different ways to alleviate ourselves whenever it does appear.”  
“How...?”  
“Am I allowed to demonstrate?” Remus places his hand on Severus’s thigh.  
Severus put up no resistance, spreading his legs, to allow Remus in between; the feel of a finger gently, delicately toying with the ‘newly discovered’ area, shuddering with pleasure. Remus never went in deep, he didn’t want to make Severus uncomfortable, instead just concentrated on the outer area of it, as well as the scrotum and penis, making are Severus felt that he was still very much wanted by Remus, that he belonged to him, and vice-versa.  
They were so caught up in their love fest that it was fair to say that when they heard one of their daughters calling on out, both groaned with the agony of having to stop.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _It was just bugging me on how to explain a little more on Severus and his change. Back and forth over how to proceed, as I felt that it was needed. I’ve been stewing on it for as long as I’ve been writing this fiction. (Longer with any other fiction I’ve written where I’ve had Mpreg content)._  
>  It also, I hope, brings in the more sense with Remus and his actions in the EWA facility, too. Again, I know the Turtles and Splinter only got a snippet, sorry. I am trying, really, I guess the storyline with Severus and Remus has more fruit at the moment, doesn’t mean I am forgetting my favourite father rat and his four turtle sons.  
>  Hope you are all well, until the next chapter... whenever that will be... 


	10. Consensual

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _**Warning; Even more extra adult content ahead.** _

Chapter Ten  
Consensual

 

Severus spent the rest of the day hiding in his and Remus’s room. He didn’t want Splinter and the Turtles to see him in the condition he was in, and Remus wasn’t about to force his partner to be even more uncomfortable. Severus may have calmed down enough, pleased in knowing Remus was sticking by him, but it still didn’t fully wade away what the inner dealings in trying to cope.  
“Is Severus okay?” asks Donatello.  
“He’s just not feeling the best right now,” Remus answers the concerned five-year-old.  
“Maybe if you made him some chicken noodle soup, he might feel better?” Michelangelo suggests. “Or I could make him a nice card?”  
A small twinkle in Remus’s eye, pats the boy’s shoulder. “I am sure Severus would like the card,” he says.  
Michelangelo turns to Splinter. “May I use the nice markers, please?”  
Splinter smiles. “Come with me, I’ll help you get what you need.”  
It didn’t take long, but all four Turtles were busy in the living area with the nice colour markers, coloured card paper and a few ‘special occasion’ items such as stickers and stamps. The twins were also each given a coloured card each and crayon, under the supervision of their father and Splinter, in their highchairs at the dining table.  
“Am I allowed to know?” Splinter asks.  
Remus pressed his lips together, partly biting his lower lip. He knew their friend had uncanny senses in ‘knowing’ if something was off. But then... he was a Rat after all!  
“I won’t go into the deeper details, only that Severus is in a particular phase and we don’t know how long it’s going to last,” Remus answers carefully.  
Splinter understood just from that sentence alone on what his friend meant.  
“Meaning a phase that bought your daughters into existence?”  
Remus nodded, not really looking at his friend, for he was uncertain of things himself; perhaps not as much as Severus, but in other ways.  
“What do you intend to do?” Splinter asks.  
“We don’t know,” said Remus. “Severus really does not want to become pregnant again. I don’t blame him.”  
“What about you?”  
“I will support and back what Severus wants to do, as it’s not me that has to worry about carrying children,” Remus replies truthfully, looking at his two daughters, knowing just how hard it had been for his partner, deepening his understanding for the man’s distress on being so confused right now.  
“But in the meantime, your partner needs you, work this phase out, am I correct in this assumption?”  
“And I him,” Remus slightly embarrassed to admit. “Severus starts his new job in five days; I don’t know what to do to help him out of what’s going on in his head right now.”  
“Well, you know I am able to handle your daughters just as well as my boys,” Splinter goes to say. “Why don’t I take them on my Lair, in New York, until the thirty-first of August? It’s now, what? The twenty-eighth? Give you as much time as you need to help your partner without the distraction from the children?”  
“We couldn’t -”  
Splinter interjects kindly. “That’s why I offered it, because I knew you wouldn’t, but you and I both know Severus needs help where can, right now. As someone who cares very deeply for your family, being, in many ways, part of my own, I wish to contribute in that help. I have minded your daughters on many occasions over these past number of months; you know my sons are careful and helpful. A little too helpful at times, but I’m with an army of bigger brothers who love the girls just as much as I. We can leave before the sun is down here. Time adjustment for a bit, but, nothing we are not used to.”  
Remus thought about it, before agreeing to the offer.  
“Thank you, Splinter,” he then says, appreciatively.  
Splinter rests his hand on Remus’s forearm. “We’re family. Family help each other out.”

###

Light lips on his forehead woke Severus up from his light sleep, he sees Remus in the bed beside him.  
“Wha...?” he went to panic when he saw how darkened the room had gotten.  
He bolted up desperate to see what the time was, he saw the sun hadn’t fully disappeared behind the distant in from his view point of the window, but enough to display that it was evening.  
“Hey, hey, hey,” Remus sooths, sitting right up as well and getting a hold of his partner, getting him to look at him. “It’s all right, Severus.”  
“Why is it so quiet? The kids aren’t already in bed are they?” Severus finally sees the time; 5:47pm.  
“Splinter has Athena and Freya in his care for the next few days, while it’s just you and me,” Remus answers.  
“Why would you do that for?”  
“It was Splinter who offered. He figured it out and, without giving out too much, knew that you needed me to help you through this.”  
Remus saw the guilt starting to rise in his partner, doing his best to not start trembling or crying again. Severus couldn’t help it. He wanted to get it together, but this wave upon wave.  
_What is wrong with me,_ he thought to himself.  
_Nothing is wrong with you!_  
Severus shot his gaze up at Remus, surprised.  
“I heard your thoughts,” Remus places a gentle hand on Severus’s cheek. “Whether you intended to let me in, or not. I heard it.”  
Against the beams left of the sun peeping in and the lamps that were on, Severus was shimmering brilliantly. Remus felt himself bulge within his pants at the alluring sight, but did his best to ignore it.  
“Then why aren’t you pushing me down and climbing on to me? Inserting yourself inside me? It’s what you want to do, isn’t it? Be inside? Like last time? I’m still naked and ready for you! If there is nothing wrong with me... why aren’t you forcing yourself on to me to make me have your offspring? I know you want more... I’ve seen you thinking about it, wondering if maybe... maybe...”  
Remus shushes Severus with soft fingers to his lips, shaking his head. Patient. Loving.  
“What would it prove if I forced my way upon you?” he asks, moving the fingers away. “You are the one who is in control of this, not EWA, certainly not me. Doesn’t matter what happened back then. Well... it does, but I hope you understand what I mean? There is no one here to tell force that side out of you. No one to force us have sex.” He then places a tender hand on Severus’s abdomen, Severus rests his own hand on his partner’s one. “No one to make you carry my children. I will not force you into that position, Severus.”  
“But what if we end up back there and they make you do it?”  
“I’ll just make sure I’m in your arse if they do,” said Remus, without needing to think on it.  
“But -”  
Remus again stops him. “I mean it! When it comes to this matter, you call the shots. You want me to get in that opening and give brothers and sisters to our daughters, I’ll do it; if all you want to do is just relieve the tension that I can feel coming from you now, without going there, I’ll oblige. Same goes if you do not want to be touched.  
“If we were to ever end up that shithole again, even though it would be under a different name, forced to do what we had to do to each other, as I said before, I will make sure I am in your arse. Heck... I’ll let you in mine if that will help.”  
“You know you enjoy it when I get my way with you,” Severus says, unable to help the shrewd wit in his tone and slight smile.  
“That got you smiling!”  
Severus lowers his eyes, wiping the smile away. Remus sighs a little, once again feeling the tug of his own instincts, seeing Severus’s display of scales, beckoning to him to play. Severus felt his partner’s internal tugs toward him, giving his all to suppress himself.  
“Look, we know that there is an end period to this. All females...and some respective males... have a set time for this, do they not?”  
“I suppose,” said Severus, still not looking at Remus.  
“Give me something to work with to help you,” Remus hoped he didn’t sound like he was begging and trying to look in his partner’s eye, but he could see and feel everything that Severus was projecting in the terms of still trying to cope.  
Severus thought about it. He was still not used to anyone trying to help him. Not when his parents were at each other’s throats, not when he was being beaten, tormented... Remus knew this, which is why he was patient, not pushing, but still doing his best to get Severus to see that he has as much right to being comforted and helped as anyone else.  
Pressing his tongue against his lips, then pressing them together, Severus slowly looks up at Remus;  
“Give me a moment, while I start the shower, please?” he requests voice shaking a little.  
Remus moves away to allow Severus to get off the bed, head to the en-suite. Seconds later, he hears the water running, hitting the tiles. Remus reaches over to the bedside table, opening up one of the draws and taking out a small container, before starting to undress and make his way to join Severus.  
He finds Severus sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall, legs opened... seeing his fingers exploring... familiarising. Remus steps over, kneels in front of him, he could feel that the water was cushioning against the hardness of the tiles, he knew that was Severus’s doing. _‘Why not use your ability to help your own comfort?’_ He would say.  
Remus could also see why Severus wanted to be in the water, his scales, his gills, even though he wasn’t submerging them, looked as though they were alive, blaring right at his partner, yearning for him.  
He leans in and they deeply kiss, Remus listening for the cues and wants, Severus guiding him through his desires, still with slight hesitation, for there were moments when Severus would start to become demanding, wanting Remus to enter that particular area, to which Remus would only play with the opening with the head of his penis and fingers, knowing his partner would calm down in a moment or so of the heated seconds of this. He would even travel down and lick the entire area, sucking on him, tasting him, fuelling his own wants in the meantime.  
Severus could sense when Remus’s own control would near come out of control, so he would switch on him, fondle him, blow him, and fuck him. Using their specially invented lubricant to make their sex life enjoyable – which is way better than going in raw or using their own spit and pre-cum to ease on in.  
It was unclear how long they were at each other for, but it did end with Severus moving into a position to allow Remus to enter him.  
“Are you sure?” Remus whispers.  
Severus, slightly shaking, nods. “Just don’t let me get pregnant...”  
Making sure Severus was watching him do, Remus pops open a little second that was in the lid of the container, pulling out a little shiny square packet, tearing it open, revealing a condom.  
“You know I always wear these before I push into you, wanting to respect your wishes. I still do, even with this new revelation to your mutation,” he soothes, when Severus went into a mix of relief and looking a little worried on what Remus truly thought about the idea of wearing a rubber. “But I am going to ask this of you again. Do you want this?”  
To answer, Severus places a little bit of the lube cream on to his fingers and eases it along his partner’s erect length, allowing the condom to slip on without trouble, making sure it was comfortable. Remus gently replaces Severus back into position, adding a little more lube.

###

All that night and well into the next two days, they went at each other, Remus continuing to follow Severus’s lead, and only stopping where needed to. Each time Remus was allowed to go further, (always with a condom), the more Severus got not only used this different section, but enjoyed it.  
“Your colours have faded, nearly blending back into your fair skin colour,” Remus whispers, on the morning of the thirtieth of August, peering down at Severus, brushing strands of hair out of the way of his partner’s face. “How are you feeling now?”  
Severus cups Remus’s cheek with his hand, ebony eyes on his blue. Remus saw just how much more relaxed, calmer, more ‘himself’ he appeared.  
“Still worried,” Severus admits.  
Remus lowers and rests his forehead on Severus’s, their eyes closing, noses nearly touching.  
“I know, Sev. But, you know now, we know now. The length of which this goes for, at least.”  
“But not how often this will occur,” Severus mutters.  
“Something we will soon find out, I am sure,” says Remus. “We will get through when it does, just like everything else we’ve come up against.”  
Severus, feeling a sneaky hand going along his thighs, spread them to allow for it, knowing exactly where it was going. When the fingers couldn’t find what they were looking for.  
“It closed over during somewhere after midnight,” Severus says, with amusement in his tone, but also a small hint of sadness, too. “I’m not pregnant.” That was a voice of knowing, and definitely pleased.  
Remus brushed his lips on Severus’s, and then whispers something into his hear. Severus laughs softly.  
“Oh, go on!” he tells Remus.  
Grinning, Remus gladly followed through with Severus’s permission to be a little rough...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _I had a feeling when I wrote the last chapter, it wasn’t fully over with this particular scenario, so felt it had to be added._


	11. Trauma

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _**Warning plausible trigger moments.** _

 

Chapter Eleven  
Trauma

 

Transitioning into becoming a Professor took a bit for Severus to get a hang for. Didn’t help with Dumbledore not giving him much advice on what exactly he was even meant to do in terms of disciplining the students or how to set a work schedule. McGonagall however was full of ideas on how Severus can handle things.  
Every Friday night, Severus goes home to Remus and his daughters, heading back to Hogwarts on the Sunday evenings. Something Dumbledore tried to put a stop to on a number of occasions, but was shot down every time;  
“You ever, ever stop me from seeing my family, I will quit my position in this school and you never hear or see from me again! Is that understood?” Severus remembers growling. “Unless you want me demonstrate just how it would be unwise to go against me?”  
That was the last time Dumbledore dared to stop Severus from being with Remus and their daughters. But, it didn’t stop the old man from deliberately undermining the Potions Master where he saw fit to, and by then Severus had found his groove and reputation within the school.  
By the time the school year was nearly done, Severus found it rather rewarding. Within this time, Remus had been able to find a way to earn a little extra. It didn’t stop the hurt they both felt when Voldemort went after the Potters, news of Sirius Black being the Secret Keeper who betrayed them and killing Peter Pettigrew, destroying him to smithereens, leaving only a finger. Nor the aftermath that went on for what felt like forever. But they managed as best as they could. Their jobs and their family being the much needed distraction they could have.  
Twice more Severus started up his ‘on heat’ phase, slowly starting to establish a pattern that would help keep things in some form of schedule. Unfortunately the last one started up during one very busy breakfast in the Great Hall, where he noticed that he was having eyes directed toward him, and mutterings. It wasn’t until McGonagall whispers if he was okay and asking about the colours on his head, did Severus quickly make his way out to the closest bathroom and saw for himself.  
What Severus hadn’t expected was for Albus Dumbledore to walk right on in and see for himself.  
“Well... what an interesting display you have Severus,” he said calmly.  
“What do you want?” Severus demanded.  
Dumbledore waves his wand toward the door... locking it. Immediately alarming Severus.  
“I am not going to hurt you,” says the old man calmly.  
“Because locking the door is filling me with great confidence!” Severus arched with sarcasm and preparing himself.  
“I just want to look at you...”  
Confusion mixed with fear marking Severus face. He shakes his head.  
“No!” his firm voice trembling a little.  
Dumbledore raises his eyebrows, a look of ‘are you telling me, no?’  
“Come now, Severus... it’s not as though this hadn’t been recorded... spoken about... theorised over...” he spoke as he inched forwards.  
“No!” Severus says again, reaching for his wand, only for Dumbledore to raise his before he could get it.  
“You forget... you owe me... I own you, Severus...”  
“No!”  
Severus backed up, hitting the sink as he did.  
With a turn of his hand, Dumbledore’s wand did has it was commanded, ripping Severus’s clothes away, exposing everything. Well, not everything, as not everything was seen, unless one knew where to look... But still enough.  
In that moment, it all came up, the flashbacks, the trauma from it, the whole trying to cope with it and then this... from someone who was meant to be a trusted member and strong positive influence...  
Severus lost it completely!  
A huge wave of water burst out from every tap, toilet and dripping pipe, mixed with a surge of air circling, creating a cyclone of sorts... or a tsunami... either way, it was forceful enough...  
Dumbledore didn’t know what hit him! But it caused the door to blow wide open, throwing the Headmaster out with it. Just as quickly, Severus grabbed his clothes and slipped them back on as fast as possible, before anyone could see him, as many were certainly coming to see what the heck just happened.  
Severus bolted for it, out of the bathroom, across the Entrance Hall, out of the castle and didn’t stop until he got to Hogsmeade Village, where he was able to Disparate and arriving on the backdoor step of his home.  
Remus, who was outside, with Freya and Athena, helping to keep their powers to a minimum, saw Severus appear... and then collapse in a heap.  
“Severus?”  
Knowing the girls will be okay, he runs over to his partner, seeing him as a blubbering mess.  
Remus wanted to ask, but with the state Severus was in right now, he wasn’t going to get anything yet. Instead, all he did was kneel down and elope his arms around him, holding him close.  
Two small pairs of hands touched Severus’s knees. He manages to blink his tears away to see Freya and Athena; they decided that they wanted to follow Remus.  
“Daddy!” says Athena, moving forward and stumbling to try and get at her upset father.  
Severus draws her close, Freya too. Both girls may not understand why their Daddy was unhappy, but they knew.

###

Dumbledore stood right up from his seat when he saw one angry Remus Lupin barging into his office. Following close behind was a slightly frantic McGonagall.  
“I’m sorry, but he insisted,” she said, having no idea why her former student would be at the school in the mood he was in.  
“It’s okay, Minerva,” said Dumbledore.  
“Pull a stunt like that on Severus again, Albus, and you will pay dearly!” Remus seethed.  
“What are you talking about?” Dumbledore asks, as if he had no idea, bewildering McGonagall.  
“Oh cut the bullshit! You know perfectly well what you did! Wanting to see for yourself on what it was my husband went through... is going through still! I don’t know how you found out, or even how much you know about Severus, but it doesn’t matter! Nor do I understand why you are so interested! EWA collapsed! You weren’t even associated with it! So, what the fuck?”  
“There had been reports, whispers,” Dumbledore defended himself, still unmoving. He hadn’t been fully injured from the blast of air and water, some noticeable bruising, but nothing more. “I only wanted to protect -”  
Remus suddenly changed before Dumbledore, he heard McGonagall gasp at the sight. Yellow-blue eyes, claws, teeth... but still in control.  
“Forcing a man to undress is not protecting, Albus!” he boomed. “It makes one think you had other intentions!”  
Now it was Dumbledore who was trembling, as Remus was now right up in his face, feeling his hot breath.  
“Where is Severus, now?” Dumbledore asks.  
“Where he needs to be! Whether he returns here... well... I wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t... you have no ownership over him, no matter what deals were made. Yes... I know about the deals, Albus”  
“And you still stuck by him?”  
With a shrewd smile, Remus could see the confusion in Dumbledore’s blue eyes. A flicker of betrayal by his own hold of emotion.  
“I don’t understand,” McGonagall pipes up. “What did Albus do?”  
Dumbledore was about to speak, but a single claw touches at a point in his neck.  
“Speak truthfully, now... or I will!” Remus warns.  
The expression on McGonagall’s face when Dumbledore confessed went from shock to disgust.  
“Tell Severus he can have the rest of the week off, if he chooses to stay on as Potions Master and Head of Slytherin,” McGonagall tells Remus firmly, her nostrils flaring as her piercing eyes looked at Dumbledore. “We will find a way to make sure the students get their lessons. Besides, Hogwarts is two weeks away from closing for the summer. He is welcome to the extra time off, if he wants it. I hope he can come back, even with what has happened I still value his company is a peer and friend.”  
Remus nods. “I will let him know. Thank you.”  
Not needing to display his other abilities to make his point to Dumbledore, Remus left.

###

The recovery was slow with Severus, feeling felt as though, once again, his person had been violated. He didn’t want to go any further than being held and gentle strokes on the forehead, chest, belly or back, as he still needed that touch. Remus understood deeply. Severus’s colours faded once more, another phase of his on heat gone until the next time, but he still was visibly shaken now and again.  
He kept apologising to Remus, saying he should have just let him. Remus wouldn’t hear it.  
“You have nothing to be sorry for!”  
Freya and Athena were part of the recovery, Severus enjoying their smiles, their hugs, their wanting to display their powers to him, under control of course. Also calling him ‘Daddy’, warming his heart. Remus would watch as his partner would smile and laugh and interact with them, but then something, even if it was small, would bring some memory and cause him to go quiet for a while.  
As much as Remus wanted Severus to talk to him, Severus couldn’t find the words. Remus knew that his childhood wasn’t a great one, but it seemed that whatever he had been told only scratched the surface.  
Severus knew Remus wanted him to talk, but he just wasn’t ready to. Was happy to know he wasn’t being pushed. He would be asked if he needed anything, though. Didn’t matter what it was, Severus suspected that Remus kinda liked the idea of taking care of him, secretly, he liked it, too, given that up until Remus came into his life, literally, even if by force, he had someone who gave a shit.  
Sure, he had Lily, who did whatever she could with whatever knowledge she was given – as he didn’t disclose a lot of what had happened in his home life... not even Hogwarts life... when that fateful afternoon happened, with that moment of being upside down, in the air, out of traumatic retort calling her that... that word... oh he regretted it. It hurt to know that Lily would forgive James for all his wrong doings, but for that one small... shit got worse after that for Severus, but Remus didn’t know... he didn’t know how to even tell him. Remus wasn’t there when...  
They were paid a visit from McGonagall when Hogwarts had officially ended for the year. She wanted to see how her former students were coping, especially Severus. She had been allowed the location of their home because she proved to be one to trust, going on their side every time, pretty much a no questions asked sort of thing, she was fiercely protective of people she considered either her equal, her friend or family, someone who was worth her trust and loyalty.  
She informed that Dumbledore was now placed in a bound by contract spell.  
“What does that mean?” Severus asks a little confused.  
He knew about the bound by contract spell, (which is why he refused to sign the one Dumbledore wanted him to sign, instead wrote a word for word copy, placing his own charms and such on it, and signed that! Dumbledore is unaware that he had a duplicate, not the real one, in his office files).  
“It means I wrote up a strong, ironclad set of rules that Dumbledore must follow when it comes to the staff of the school. I included everyone, even though I know it is mostly to protect you. Whenever a new Professor comes in to teach, their name is automatically on it, appearing without needing to sign. I had Sprout and Flitwick help me, as after we learned of what had happened we weren’t going to allow it to happen again, or do our best to prevent it happening again within the school. We also wrote one for the students, too,” she fiercely explains. “I should have warned that Albus has a bit of a fondness for younger men... boundaries are not his strong hold, and... well... you are seen as too valuable to be harassed by the foolish desires of a man trying to relive his youth! Doesn’t matter how much of an influence he has to the community we have, he shouldn’t have done what he had. Nor will he again. At least while you are on school grounds... I cannot say the same for outside of it, including Hogsmeade Village, I am sorry about that.”  
“No... You did what you could, Minerva,” said Severus, truly grateful in his tone. “Thank you.”  
McGonagall smiles. “My pleasure, Severus. I do hope you consider coming back to teach. You really do have a talent and promise to go far. May need to work on that reputation of yours, but... many do agree, you are worthy of your post.”  
Humbled, Severus nods. “I’ll keep it in mind.”  
McGonagall nods too, before becoming smitten by the two little girls who wandered on over, curious of this woman in their living room.  
“Kitty!” Freya says to McGonagall, patting her on the knee.  
Both fathers put face in hands, but McGonagall just smiles and transfigures into the cat form she was known for, then back again, much to the delight of both girls.  
“I think she knew,” she says with amusement.

###

Then it happened, it was well into the middle of the night, Remus woke to hear Severus sobbing and begging for someone to stop...  
Turning on the lamp and looking over, he saw Severus was still sleeping, trapped in his nightmare.  
“Severus?” Remus lies back down, still facing his partner, gently stroking the side of Severus’s cheek. “Wake up.”  
“No... Please... Don’t...!”  
It took a little, but when Severus’s eyes flew open and saw Remus, he immediately crumbled.  
“Remus?”  
“I’m here! It’s just me! What happened in there, Severus?” Deep concern on Remus’s face.  
“You weren’t my first! I lied!”  
“Okay, so you lied about getting some before I did, not something to...”  
“You don’t understand! My father used to force me to do things... horrible things... he never went there, as in... you know... but... someone else did... forcing me... to...” Severus’s voice got caught in his throat.  
“To have sex?” Remus supplies.  
Severus nods, misery and grief and obvious trauma written all over.  
“May I know who did it?”  
Severus hesitated. Then, without uttering a word, collapsed the wall that hid majority of the memories he held, projecting... allowing him to see it...  
Remus was finally realising just how bad things were...  
“Oh, Severus, I am so, so sorry!” he said, guilt over his own foolish actions of back then, even if he didn’t know, and the anger he now held, understanding why things were so... tense between the man he called husband and... the man he once called friend... locked away in Azkaban Prison for a completely different crime...  
Yet... he understood now...  
Pulling Severus closer, gently caressing his face, upper arm and back, Remus felt his own wave of emotions hitting on in.  
“Is that why you get confused when I won’t force my way?” he asks carefully. “Why, when I was that way, before we knew everything now, you didn’t fight me off?”  
Severus thought of the question just asked, then, not looking his partner in the eye, nods slowly.  
“Yes,” he chokes. “Dad said I had to take it like a man. Saying he was preparing me for when girls come along, I don’t think I had a preference back then. You don’t want to know the words Black voiced... when he learned that... the I... I liked both girls... and boys. He caught me masturbating to some dirty pictures... of men... and... it led to... that. Then EWA... I just felt it had to be that way. To roll over and accept it.”  
A short, yet deep exhale escapes Remus upon this revelation.  
“I’d... I’d understand if you... if you took the kids and walked away...”  
Remus frowns deeply at the words Severus just spoke; “What are you talking about?”  
“You wouldn’t want to stay after learning that I’m damaged goods...” Severus whispers with strain.  
Remus stares at Severus, deeply, before leaning right in and placing a firm, deep kiss on his partner’s lips, pulling him as close as possible to his body, pinning him only slightly. Severus could feel his partner’s groin right up against his through the material of their pants. It was slightly hard.  
Remus pulls out of the kiss; “I think you temporarily forgot you’re talking to a werewolf, Môn Cheri,” voice full of affection, respect, soothing, as he spoke his words to Severus. “I still want you, Severus Tobias Snape. I still love you. Let me help you heal.” He softly brushes his lips in different areas around Severus’s face and neck, which seemed to be helping, as he could feel his partner starting to ease, become less rigid, sensing Remus’s own body language, voice and scent, all ringing with blaring truth on how he felt, what he still wanted, and that being Severus.  
Sobs escaped, not out of fear, but out of relief. Remus just continued to hold Severus, until he was able to settle back down.

###

_Leader of the Foot Clan;_  
_I can confirm what you’ve informed me to keep an eye out for. It is unclear on just how far the ‘displays’ of Severin goes, but let’s just say, if he didn’t have those powers, I might have taken advantage of the seeing what may happen, if you catch my drift?_  
_One problem, he is married to Roman now, and is completely protected by marriage law, as are their daughters – whom I have not been able to have a single glimpse. As much as you no longer see Roman to be of much use to you in your quest to find suitable bearers for ‘super ninja witches and wizards’, even if mutating them is the only way – by which you have no problems from me how you do it, really. But, I should warn you, Roman is extremely protective of his mate and their offspring. Whatever changes you placed on him, enhanced his ability to control his werewolf condition and amp up his sense of responsibility to his kin._  
_Things may have died down in terms of Voldemort and his followers, but I feel that we are simply in a waiting game now. The plans have worked, on that front. The scapegoats are either dead or locked up. I took care of the baby boy; he won’t be coming into this world until he is eleven, left him in the care of his Aunt and Uncle._  
_I am yet to find out where the mating males are located, they refuse to tell me, or anyone else from the Order for that matter. Except those who will keep their secret guarded. Blasted Secret Keeper business, times where it is not helpful to particular causes._  
_There are challenges ahead, but you can rest assure, Oroku Saki, that Baxter Stockman of Stockman Enterprises will have Severin will be delivered to you as soon as the right opportunity arises. With, or without Roman._  
_I cannot guarantee on the two offspring they still have. I am going to be honest on that part. I hope you understand why it may not happen. I think so long as you are simply happy to get Severin into your possession, I shouldn’t matter, as I guess it is simply proof that he is the one who bore them._  
_I await your response;_  
_Albus Dumbledore._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> __**Dun dun dun! I had no intention of having Dumbledore team up with Shredder... but... as I kept going, the more the connections between the two worlds had to become deeper and deeper. Does the Ministry know? Probably in the cases of a select few. The ones who weren’t driven to insanity or suicide... or other...**  
>  Dumbledore is not aware of the friendship that has been kept between Splinter and our two favourite men in this story – thought I’d give that little heads up. As far as the old wizard is concerned, they’re probably dead in a ditch somewhere, because no one would explain what exactly happened after the watermill incident and they do live in an area where they can hide!  
>  What happens next? Stay tuned... ****


	12. Timeout

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _**Warning: TRIGGER CHAPTER AHEAD! Contains rape.** _

Chapter Twelve  
Timeout

 

“I was thinking...” Remus mutters the next morning, softly kissing Severus’s neck and face.  
“Mmm?”  
“You and I take the girls down to the lake for a few days? When was the last time you had a good swim?”  
Severus thought on this, and then shook his head. “It has been a long time.”  
Remus gently ran delicate fingers along Severus’s gills, which gave off a tickling sensation that made Severus squirm a little under his partner, a back of the throat sound of pleasure escaping. This practice wasn’t something Remus often did, as he knew how sensitive Severus was in the area, only going near the area when it’s permitted, though sometimes, in case he wasn’t sure, he’d get close to see what Severus might do, a gentle push away was all it took for Remus to know not to pursue, this morning was a little different. He could sense Severus still wanted this confirmation that he was, indeed, desirable to Remus, even with everything revealed last night. Plus, it did confirm something that Remus had suspected for awhile as he went along the neatly evened out slits along Severus’s sides; they were reacting differently to his touch. Even as he carefully moved down and started to wet them with his own saliva – which was this huge welcome to Severus just knowing the gills were getting wet. It didn’t matter how good it felt by Remus’s careful tongue and mouth, he wasn’t well, and he knew it.  
Severus had been putting off the chance of swimming, whilst at Hogwarts; he didn’t want to risk being exposed, so he just used either a simple tub or shower to help him get through. When he was home... he just got distracted, putting it off.  
“You need to be in water, Mon Cheri Sev,” Remus said to his partner.  
“I know,” said Severus.  
“Then it’s settled!”  
It took a little over an hour for the family of four to be packed and ready and leave. The lake itself was a good hour’s walk from the house – well, made shorter of course if they wanted to.  
Crystal clear and pristine were just two of the many ways one may describe the lake and its surroundings. The lake had always been there and some of the original rock formations and trees; however, when Severus, who was heavily pregnant at the time, had moved into the Lupin homestead that in time became the Lupin-Snape home, and Remus, wanting to make the entire area feel welcoming for him and adjust as best as possible, created special extras, especially when Severus wouldn’t leave the area in the week leading up to the birth of their girls.  
Severus didn’t know how Remus even pulled such a thing off, but he really appreciated the effort and length his partner had gone to in helping him. There were three makeshift lagoons, each one with a different theme, which would change in a few months, as would the entire lake in the water, allowing for Severus to have as much access as he needed to, no questions asked, or strings attached. There were also a few manmade caves that were perfect for bunking and camping in. Plus a replica of a shallow rock pool.  
“That’s new,” says Severus, seeing the rock pool.  
“Made that for the girls, have been bringing them here from time to time so they could rejuvenate outside of the bathtub,” Remus smiles proudly at the fact that he was able to create what he was able with his earth powers, (which , so he found out, included rocks and trees), and helping his own children to figure out their own, as it appeared that they had all four of their fathers’ powers, however, even then one twin was strongest with two of the elements over the other two, where it was the other way around with the other. They may not yet be two years old, but it didn’t seem to stop the fathers from seeing how powerful they could actually be and the sooner to help them to control that power, the better.  
Also, Freya and Athena, while not require it as much as their maternal father, they did need to be within a decent body of water after a certain period of time. So to do what he could in preventing them from drowning, he created the rock pool, where he could contain them, keep an eye on them and help them strength their skills in swimming.  
A small pang of guilt etched on to Severus’s face. He had been intending on bringing his daughters here whenever he was home from Hogwarts... but time just slipped away.  
Remus placed a hand on Severus’s shoulder, sensing what he was feeling.  
“Its okay, Severus, we’re here now and this is our time to relax, have fun, and enjoy,” he said.  
With a quick nod, the men, still carrying their very eager daughters, went to one of the caves, (one closest to the rock pool), to set up. Within, there were comfortable mattresses closer to the back, a fire pit in the centre, to one side a prep area for food, with an eating area not too far from it.  
Set up didn’t take more than five minutes, making up the mattresses, sorting the supplies they bought and starting a fire, complete with safety bubble so the girls couldn’t get at it.  
Remus didn’t stop Severus from striping down to his board shorts and heading straight to the water right on after the set up was complete. He did, however, stop Athena and Freya from following their ‘Daddy’, because they were rather keen in joining him.  
“A little patience, Angelfish and Butterfly,” he says with soft chucking, as he leads them to the rock pool.  
Immediately after going under the magically adaptable water, where it just fits his body temperature, be he in warm blood or cold blood mode, Severus could feel his poorly downed health lifting to better levels. When he felt able, he went over and joined his family at the rock pool, where Athena and Freya were splashing and trying to manipulate the water to do what they wanted it to do. Seems, from Severus’s observation, Athena was a little stronger with the water element than Freya was. Remus just sitting on the edge with his feet in, at one point stopped an over excited Athena from falling face first into the water.  
“Dad-dee!” they both cry when they see him, arms out to him, hurrying over to him.  
Smiling, Severus welcomed them, holding them close to him, kissing them both on the cheek, before carefully pulling away from the edge, (as he was still halfway in to keep his gills submerged), with each in each arm, and bought them into the deeper water with him, but not too deep. Remus was quick to jump in and join them.  
For most of the day, it was spent in the water, well, mostly Severus, as Remus was more of a lounger when it came to water, so he was at times sitting by water’s edge, or lying on the rocks.  
Didn’t stop anyone from being cheeky to the paternal father, especially when he was lying on his front, chin resting on folded arms and eyes lightly closed, Severus inched over with the two girls and quietly, quietly set them on the rocks, where Remus was. Freya and Athena both decided to plonk on to their Dad’s back, straddling him as best as their little legs could go.  
“I had wondered whether the temptation was going to be too great,” Remus says, lifting his head a little and turning it to see Severus and just see twins from the corner of his eye, wearing identical grins.  
As the stars began to glitter the sky, and after the fathers had settled their daughters down after a nice mini feast of campfire cooked hash browns, salad and fish (that both Severus and Remus caught from the lake), and not to forget campfire marshmallows, the two men found themselves relaxing at the cave entry, they had dragged their mattress over to it and made it so they could still have a good view of the night and half filled moon.  
“You seem a lot calmer,” Remus comments, nuzzling lightly into Severus.  
“Mmm, I feel calmer,” says Severus, nuzzling back.  
“Good to know.”  
“Thank you for suggesting this, Moony,” said Severus, gratefully.  
“No thanks needed, Mon Cheri Sev,” Remus replies. “You needed this, and why not spend it with the girls in the process? I love you, and I would do what I can to make you happy, feel safe and wanted.”  
In response to this Severus moved and planted a firm kiss on Remus’s lips.  
“And I you, Mon Cheri Moony,” he says.  
Remus welcomed the next kiss that followed, sensing his partner’s wont to get a little more... frisky.  
They both look over to see if their girls were still fast asleep.  
“Far too deep in dream world!” Remus whispers.  
“Mmm, good... more time to play,” Severus purrs, moving Remus into position. “I made sure to pack our lube.”  
Remus just readies himself for his partner...

###

After the second night, Severus felt heaps more rejuvenated and some of the confidence Remus knew him for had returned.  
“Do you wish to head back today? Or do you need some extra time?” Remus asks when they were all awake.  
“I wouldn’t mind at least a few more hours out here,” Severus says. “But I do feel Freya and Athena need to be back in their beds.”  
“Tell you what, we pack up, I take everything back to the house, as well as the girls, you just have the rest of the morning in peace?”  
Severus agreed. “And I’ll take the girls off your hand when I do.”  
With a quick kiss on the cheek, Remus made the move to start packing. Severus joined him. More amusing was the twins trying to help.  
Shortly, Remus departed with the twins and the stuff they bought with them, leaving Severus by the entry of the cave. Almost as soon as Severus couldn’t see them, he stripped naked and dove right on into the water. Didn’t really mind wearing board shorts or any of that, but man it felt satisfying being clothes free whilst being in the water!  
Remus managed to get home just fine, the girls a few times stopped to look at what was around them, and get distracted by some little squirrel or bird, wanting to go and try and pat the animal that had no interest whatsoever.  
Once inside, a sudden uncomfortable feeling washed over him. He didn’t know what was causing it. But it was enough to cause alarm.  
Just putting the items they bought by the door and picking up the girls as he didn’t quite know how else to keep them close to him. Carefully, he scanned each and every room in the house. No one was here, but he did notice that things had been moved from their places. Both Severus and Remus were very particular in how things were placed in their home, even if it was differently, they found ways to reach equal compromise. So to see that Severus’s favourite old Bat mobile that he had since he was a small child, one of the few positive items he had, away from the fire mantel, on the little table in the study-slash-library they have, among other things, Remus knew someone had been in their home.  
Suddenly, from way out in the forest in the direction of the lake, Remus heard something. He remembered that sound to being that of a helicopter... this caused him to hurry back out of the house and see... jaw dropped, and feeling helpless as he saw the net being drawn up into it... with Severus inside it, being carted away.

###

He was caught by surprise. Swimming as deep as he could go in the lake and next thing he knew this strongly knitted rope, resistant to his powers, so he quickly discovered, and being hoisted up, to be dragged off to god knows where. For when he was bought right into the helicopter he was knocked out before he could fully take in who had him... but he thought he saw... no... It couldn’t be...  
When Severus came to and saw himself in the oh too familiar cell, panic automatically kicked on in, as he tried to smack on the glass to get anyone’s attention, and started screaming when he knew he wasn’t going to get out... except for when they wanted him to.  
Once again, time was a forbidden thing for Severus. He didn’t know how much time had gone by. He was examined, tested and more from the White Coats. He didn’t know who to the White Coats answered to, but he knew they were getting their orders and answering to someone; carrying out whatever was needed. Hands being slid into Severus’s gills, causing discomfort to him when they did; check his eyes and teeth and every other nook and cranny of his body... including the discovery of a certain opening, as his colours were starting to show.  
Apparently this was what they were waiting for. Severus couldn’t believe five months had passed... no... it couldn’t have... was Remus trying to find him at all? Of course he was... he had to be. Remus was getting dicked around trying to locate him; Severus could still sense his partner’s anxiousness to find him. Even with whatever distance they had between them right now and the shit situations they were in, with Severus where he was and Remus out there just as confused to where to look... it was the only comfort Severus was getting, as he was being placed on to his stomach, chained down, legs parted just enough and a blindfold over his eyes.  
“Please... don’t...” he sobs, when he heard footsteps approaching toward him.  
His pleas were ignored as he felt the person getting themself into position and... Severus shook uncontrollably knowing there was no escaping.

###

It was a blur after that. Severus remembered this person doing what he did only twice, in between these times he felt something being placed inside him and squirted in. It was just as hot and sticky as the person who ejaculated him... before going weirdly limp as soon as it happened. He knew that neither weren’t the same as what he got from Remus, he wasn’t comfortable with this, it wasn’t familiar, it wasn’t his partner. When it appeared that the White Coats were satisfied, he was placed back in his cell, where he was able to remove the blindfold.  
Severus just curled up into a tight ball and wept. He still had his colours, meaning he was still ‘open’, and he knew he had a good number of days left, as he had been strapped down to that thing they had him on – he didn’t need to tell time with his own phase, he can just feel it wasn’t over. He also knew it didn’t really matter, as the chances of some form of conception taking place were very, very high.  
He didn’t even remember when, or even if he did, fall asleep, but he remembered suddenly feeling the heat. It was nice... this feeling... cosy... he wouldn’t mind if the flames he was seeing just licked his skin and too him with them...  
_‘Why aren’t I being burned up?’_ he wonders. _‘Maybe I have... just was so out of it, I didn’t notice? I must be already dead?’_  
He felt something touching his shoulder;  
“Severus?”  
Severus moved his head and saw Remus was kneeling down before him hands on him, Severus didn’t want to believe his eyes.  
“Moony?”  
“You’re not real! You can’t be here... you’re just in my head!” Severus’s voice was an almost mutter.  
Remus gently lowers down and not even thinking about it, places a firm, solid kiss on Severus’s lips. The taste of his partner, the smell, the feel... Severus felt himself starting to break, this was real, he knew... but we was afraid that this was still a dream of his.  
“Come on, Mon Cheri Sev, let’s go,” Remus whispers.  
“We have to get out of here and fast, the fire you’ve caused is catching faster than you intended, even if you are controlling part of it,” said a different voice.  
“Is that Moscow?” Severus asks.  
“Explain everything when we get you out of here,” said Remus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Tried to make this entire chapter light hearted and fluffy... but this kinda happened instead. I didn’t do too much detail with the whole shebang Severus went through, except the critical moment, as I didn’t feel it was really needed to be, plus it allowed for those who are reading this to use their imagination on what they did to him – world’s just as much your oyster as it is mine.  
>  Details on how Remus found Severus and such will be in the next chapter. As if I would leave you in the lurch on that._


	13. Explanation

Chapter Thirteen  
Explanation

 

Severus faded in and out not long after being put into the helicopter Moscow had ‘conveniently’ commandeered; with a few faces he didn’t know he would ever see again. Vaguely remembering snippets.  
Being placed on to something comfortable, before fading out and then in to hear a very familiar sweet high pitch squeak voice of someone he had befriended back in the days of EWA, before their escape.  
“Morrigan?” he whispers, before fading out again, upon hearing the words; “We need to get him into something warm and wet for now, until we can get him into water.”  
He didn’t fade back in until a few moments later, (well, to him it felt a few moments, it was perhaps longer than that, they were still in the air though, so he didn’t know), hearing the voices around him;  
“He’s still going to be highly sexually charged, Remus.”  
“He didn’t want to go there the last time, so I will not be surprised if he doesn’t this time.”  
“Mm-mmm, this might be different this time around. His mating phase has been deliberately exhilarated and bought forward, from all of the information we’ve stolen from there before we sent the place into smoke. He may want a reason to try and prove that he belongs to you and any offspring... if any did start forming within his now starting to form womb, are yours... not the offending intruders they’ve injected him with. There is also a chance that, because he was meddled with, his scales may be displaying for much longer than what you were originally starting to get used to.”  
Severus remembered seeing Remus peering down at him, before fading out once more, but not before feeling Remus wiping away an escaping tear from Severus’s face. Remus knew then that Severus had heard what had been said.  
By the time he had opened his eyes, Severus’s head was swimming, and the feeling of groggy was high. Beautifully tampered water was lapping around him, only his head was rested above, (made so he didn’t accidentally slip under and drown). He bought his hand up to his face, as he did he saw some movement from the corner of his eye.  
“Easy!” said the caring voice of Splinter, as Severus tried to sit up, only to lie back down.  
“Splinter? Where? How?”  
“You will have all the answers and explanations in time. But first, you still need to rest,” said Splinter, resting his hand on Severus’s forehead.  
“Isn’t that what I’ve been doing?” Severus asked a little confused.  
“You’ve been in a sort of self-healing coma, Severus. You’ve just woken up now, so your body is going to need to do what it must to carry out the rest of your recovery, you’ve done as much as you can during this coma of yours,” Splinter explains.  
“How long was I out for?”  
“Two days.”  
Severus nearly bolted up, but his body pretty much told him that was a bad idea, didn’t stop the water splashing right on out of the tub and hitting the floor in large splats, Splinter ignored the liquid getting on him, as he quickly placed his hands on Severus to calm him down.  
“Calm my friend! It’s alright! You’re safe! We’ve been taking turns in watching you, talking to you and making sure you didn’t make a turn for the worst.”  
“Where is Remus? The girls?”  
“Your family is safe in my home, where you are right now,” said Splinter. “Remus, other than to look after Freya and Athena, rarely left your side. There were times were we had to make him get some sleep. Even when we were working tirelessly to find you. When he saw you being taken, he was immediately coming to me and together we managed to find the help we needed. Minerva, Poppy and I stayed with your daughters here, while the others, Moscow, Morrigan, Porthos and Serket, as well as Remus went to get you once you were able to be located.”  
“And I would do it again, in less than a heartbeat,” spoke the ever welcoming voice to Severus’s ears.  
Remus walked right on in, having heard the rather loud spattering of water from just down the hall. His eyes were showing clear evidence of little to no sleep; even his usually neatly kept short light brown hair looked a little unkempt and in real need of a cut. Not that it would have bothered Severus to see his partner with longer hair; however he knew Remus preferred to wear his hair short, compared to Severus with his shoulder length black. But he also saw relief, joy and strong love, too.  
Kneeling down next to Splinter and taking his husband’s hand, Remus looked right into Severus’s eye. The wall was down, allowing Remus to see, from Severus’s point of view, what had been. He could feel the panic and guilt starting to seep when they reached a certain section, where he was chained, then blindfolded and...  
An arm snaked around Severus, pulling him closer to Remus, while the other arm joined the other.  
“I’ll go and inform the others, for I know,” Splinter says politely. “As I know Poppy, Serket and Porthos will wish to check you over.”  
“Thank you, Splinter,” said Remus.  
“How long was I away?” Severus asks.  
“Two weeks, Mon Cheri,” Remus tells him. “We tried to make it shorter time, there were just some people who weren’t willing to cooperate... unless they were persuaded... including Albus Dumbledore.”  
The memory of when he was first in the helicopter, Severus thought he was just imagining it when he saw the dazzling robes and silvery white hair.  
“Dumbledore was in on this?” Severus stares at his husband, hoping that it was still his mind's eye playing tricks.  
Remus nods grimly. “He wasn’t so forthcoming at first, but he eventually gave up the location after I gave him a small singe, saying he got what he needed.”  
Severus was a little confused by Remus’s last words, but didn’t dwell on it. Then he suddenly turned his attention to...  
“You’re still presenting, Severus,” said Remus.  
It was enough to cause Severus to breakdown into tears. Remus just held him firmly.  
Three more came into the bathroom.  
“Madam Pomfrey?” said Severus, a little surprised.  
A small comforting smile on the Mediwitch’s face. “I accidentally overheard Remus speaking to Minerva and wanted to help. Cannot imagine to my surprise on what has actually been going on, but my job title is to help and heal, and that is what I intend to do. Also, to learn more, so when you do come back to Hogwarts... if you choose to, I will have a better clue.”  
The other two were Porthos and Serket.  
Porthos was a five foot five male with a feline structured styled face, complete with catlike eyes of green, sleek body and a tail that resembled a cat’s tail. His teeth appeared to be human sized tiger teeth and ears pointed a little, to have him almost resembling like the cat creatures the EWATGRI wanted to change him into. Across his entire body, tiger stripes and leopard spots were beautifully patterned, like tattoos wonderfully detailed. They were even better when Porthos actually had his fur, which he only gets when it starts to get cold, so he had his winter coat, making him even more like a large cat, for the hotter climates and seasons, he just looked like an ordinary heavily tattooed human, just add a tail.  
Serket had an hourglass like body that had a natural shining complexion to the darkish skin she had. Braided dark hair that resembled a scorpion’s spiked tail, nails that looked like pinchers and a hard looking face. However Severus knew Serket to be of a kinder nature underneath the ‘tough exterior’ she gives off. Serket was also very well gifted in medicine and healing her fellow mutant. She helped in delivering Severus and Remus’s children.  
“This may seem a silly question, but how are you feeling?” Serket asks.  
“Like utter shit,” Severus replies honestly. “Apologies for the swearing.”  
“I think under the circumstances, that can be ignored,” said Porthos.  
“And I’ve heard much worse than that,” says Madam Pomfrey.  
Serket doesn’t waste any more time getting around to why they were there. “This might seem like an inconvenience to you and you may object to some of it, and we understand if you do, we can always do them when you’re more up to it, or if we feel it is necessary, but still with due care to you, however, we do need to have you checked over very shortly, now you are awake. Some of this is you do need to see for yourself, to understand the grasp of the situation.”  
“If you’re going to tell me that I am still in the phase and what they did to me when it presented itself, I already know, I was there; I also remember overhearing whatever you were talking about to Remus,” said Severus, sort of trying to brush it off as though it was nothing, even though it was clearly evident he was far from okay and this was far from over for him.  
“There is more that you need to know, Severus,” Porthos says to him carefully.  
Severus had a feeling there was more to it.  
“We will give you half an hour before we start anything, allow you to try and get out of the tub and into the infirmary,” said Serket. “Porthos will be staying to help you and Remus.”

###

With shaky legs, but with strong help from Remus and Porthos, Severus was out of the tub and on the tiles. His world was spinning and doing his best to not to fall. He felt queasy, very...  
“I need a bucket!” he mutters.  
Without any question, a bucket appeared and just in time, Severus hurled, losing his knees in the process. He didn’t remember being helped down to the ground or any of it, except the vomiting, and a hand rubbing his back and another pulling his hair back out of the way.  
He was shaking uncontrollably, he wasn’t well, and he knew he wasn’t. He may have been within water, which helped him, but Splinter was correct, Severus had a long ways to go in the terms of healing right now.  
It took a bit for Severus to be able to get back on his feet and robed, with help of course, but he was able to get into the infirmary. He nearly tried to back away and go back out the door when he saw how decked out it was, but he was stopped and assured that they were still very much in Splinter’s Lair, that he was safe and that the stuff... well... they weren’t about to let good equipment get damaged. Severus also learned a little later that Moscow and the rest had been pinching and creating anything and everything they could from EWATGRI’s old stuff and whatever before they were sold off to Stockman Enterprises and whoever else bought the other half, persons unknown and don’t seem to be at all interested in continuing down the pathway Stockman Enterprises had with the whole dabbling in experimenting on beings against their will.  
One comfort, Donatello was in here, he was just ultra fascinated with everything in here and wanted to know how everything worked and why. Moscow, who had a talent for technology and inventions, was patiently explaining to the 6 year old as best he could, quickly learning to not hold back on the big words, because Donatello tended to come off sounding like a walking encyclopaedia, just absorbs information like a sponge.  
Moscow was a large six foot something tall cross between man, bird and bat. He knew he once had a Russian name and life, but because of the amount of erasing they did to his memory of a life before EWA the name was lost into virtually nothing and to simply make things easier for himself and to keep some connection to his old roots of before, named himself ‘Moscow’.  
Severus still didn’t understand, because he knew Moscow to be Jocelyn’s mate, and he and Remus both knew what that bitch did.  
“Jocelyn tried to set Moscow up to look like he was part of the entire incident with Splinter, the Turtles and our girls. When he wouldn’t participate, she tried to kill him for it,” said Remus quietly explained, knowing that because of Moscow’s excellent near sonic like hearing would still be able to hear it. But Moscow would have figured that Severus would need the explanations then and there to save any unneeded discomfort.  
Severus was escorted to one of the three beds that occupied the room, which he sat upon.  
“Donatello,” Splinter calls from the doorway. “Time to come along.”  
Donatello wanted to protest, but he saw Severus and how he appeared and remembered just how serious this was, from what he and his brothers were told in ways they could understand, this was one of those times were he couldn’t stay around. Not yet.  
Once Splinter led his young son out of the room and well out of earshot, it was time to get started.  
They were careful and always asked or informed before doing what they needed to do. Remus didn’t leave, Severus was glad.  
“From was we have found, while you do have your womb forming, nothing has started to catch as yet,” Serket informs Severus, she was always matter-of-factly, but with a tone that was of real bedside manner and tact. “However, you do have a heck of a lot of live sperm swimming around in there, as if they’re on some sort of hold, waiting to fertilise any eggs you may produce. Whether you’re doing it yourself, or it’s some other biological or manipulative explanation as to why they’re all on hold, we don’t know. I don’t think the White Coats had gotten that far, from what we were able to gather from their database we managed to rip.”  
Severus didn’t know whether to feel relieved or terrified. Serket wasn’t done, keeping the same manner she always held with these things.  
“We... we also managed to left off some foreign DNA from you, we were careful and Remus literally hovered over us when we did. It will be take between 3 to 12 weeks to match up to anyone from any samples we have also gathered from the place.”  
“Why?” Severus asked.  
“Because you’re seen as valuable and we theorised that when certain people caught wind and whatever deals were made, they wanted to exploit your change from being a simple male wizard, to a mutant male wizard who turns intersex in order to be able to produce offspring. While they figured that you had a certain time gap between phases, we’re guessing it is simply similar any female really when it comes to preparing herself for a failed attempt in a pregnancy and gearing to try again when it is seen as right.  
“What is interesting, apart from this now and again partial change, you’re pretty much all male. Healthy reproductive system, with testosterone to match coursing through your veins. Heck if you were to get with a female you’ve be able to paternally reproduce, too.”  
“Why are you telling me this?” Severus frowns a little. “I’m with Remus, last I checked.”  
Serket looks at Remus, like a little quite message to him, which Severus saw and looked right at his partner.  
“What? What happened? I don’t remember getting with some woman in there! Honest! And I wouldn’t...”  
Remus got Severus to calm down, soothing him by cupping his cheek and holding his hand.  
“I know. I know you wouldn’t cheat on me, Severus. Not deliberately. But there is something you, perhaps, need to see...”  
Severus shook his head. “I don’t want to see anything. I just want to be told.”  
“When you were first bought to the facility we found you in, they had Jocelyn there... you were still unconscious, but it didn’t seem to matter when they allowed her to have her way with you,” Remus sensitively explains. “They conveniently tried to wipe a few of the videos they had recorded of when they had you chained down and forced to potentially become pregnant.”  
“Convenient for whom?” Severus’s face had paled by this news and a sense of shame was coming forth, he felt he hadn’t been loyal, never mind the situation. “Did you really need to see that? Of me? In that position?”  
“We didn’t set out to see anything, Severus, but we did find as much evidence as possible to know that you’re not to blame in this,” Porthos assured.  
“It was amongst the files, Severus, along with so many other videos, including from when you were both at EWA before it was turned over,” said Moscow.  
Remus spoke; “We’ve been recorded doing what we were doing, Severus. We’ve been recorded during our tests, during our most intimate moments, everything.”  
“There were more files on you two, than what they had on us, even,” said Serket.  
“You two, it appears, to be the first two successful wizards to truly survive their mutations and successfully mate and produce viable offspring,” says Moscow.  
“You mean, there were others?”  
Remus nods gravely. “Wizards, witches, even squibs and muggles, they’ve been doing it for so, so long, ever since the discovery of the first two men to successfully have babies together back in the 1800s.”  
Moscow continues; “At first it was trying to get the specimens survive the mutations, then it was getting the pairings right and so much other stuff that it is just too mind blowing to try and explain in full. The point in all this is, they have been trying to create a full fledge magic mutant, male or female, to produce a super breed of sorts. A whole new race of beings that are near perfect to being immortal, or immune to extreme harshness in illnesses and climates and whatever else. A race whose powers are not like that of the wizards of the now, or any stronger than questioned mutant even.  
“When the news got out that not only you, Severus, had survived, but your own daughters were born healthy and strong, even with the loss of two, two still remained and are living and breathing. Long story short, it was sheer luck that Remus took the girls back to the house when he did! Those two wouldn’t have had much of a childhood in their hands. Not with the goldmine in knowing that they had potential born Goddesses in their clutches.”  
“You didn’t test them did you?” Severus suddenly sounded protective when he heard this about his two girls.  
“Not the kind the White Coats would have done,” Remus assured. “Our daughters, turns out, are more than just ordinary witches, but I think we both knew that.”  
“The transformations you went through and whatever adaptations that have been made from that, seems to have caused you both to not only become a heck of a lot stronger in a lot of cases, but your genes, when passing on to potential children, should you decided to have any more, will bring forth these ‘gods’ they were trying to create in the first place,” said Porthos.  
“And we know that there has been a theory that wizards and witches, before they were highly feared and being burned to the stake, were once seen as the gods and goddesses of Greece and other mythology,” Remus speaks.  
“You’re just trying to make me feel better with that bit, Remus,” said Severus.  
“Did it work?”  
Severus tried to shake the small smile. “Maybe.”  
“There is more,” said Serket.  
“How much more? Are Freya and Athena okay?” Severus now frowns again, thinking they were still on about his and Remus’s daughters.  
“They are both just fine, Severus. Remus can explain in better details on what we’ve done t set your mind at ease. But this is concerning your phase and plausible pregnancy.”  
After a second to comprehend what she just said, Severus said; “Go on...?”  
“According to Remus, you may have heard some of what has been said, I think you may have mentioned this. However, how much you heard, we don’t know and this is just as important as everything else we’ve just relayed to you.  
“Your mating phase has been tampered with and we don’t know how long you will be with your colours. There is also the discussion point of the possibility of you actually becoming pregnant from this... and what you would want to do in case it does happen.”  
Severus was silent, he didn’t know how to respond. Remus knew that Severus didn’t want to become pregnant ever again, well, not at this point, yet this changed everything. From the fact that Severus was violated in so many ways and finding this out, as if the news of having someone else’s sperm deposits swimming around inside him wasn’t enough.  
“Can’t it be reversed?” Severus then asked.  
“We’re not sure if it can be. I think it’s a ride it out situation, only we don’t think this will be over in the five day period you’ve discovered from your previous episodes of presenting your colours.”  
“Anything else I should know about?”  
“You’re a lot healthier than what you were when you were found. One would think that if they wanted to ensure their prized brooding stallion was in top condition they’d make sure of it,” said Serket. “You are going to need as much bed rest as possible. How long, uncertain, we need to make sure that you’re not going to go topsy-turvy on us.”  
“What about how you found me? In greater detail?”  
“I can do that when you’re settled down in bed and more comfortable,” said Remus.  
“And well fed!”  
Severus turned at the voice he remembered hearing on the large helicopter.  
“Morrigan?”  
‘Morrigan’ beams at Severus. She was very short, standing at four foot eleven – way shorter than Splinter at his five foot. Like majority of the mutants from EWA, she was a mix of human and another creature or two. In her case, Morrigan had the features of a rat, from her hands, feet, face, everything, white fur lacing beautifully against human skin, plus a rat tail.  
She was one of the first to befriend the two, one of the first to really stand up for them against the White Coats, often causing her to face much discipline. But she was a sweet natured little thing and neither one felt it would be right to leave her when they escaped, she wanted a life outside and a better outcome for her one and only surviving child, so Remus and Severus made sure that she and her son were with them.  
They had parted ways when she found a place she believed to be suitable. It had been a while since they last spoken.  
“How is Apollo?”  
“Growing like a weed!” said Morrigan. Her voice may be of a high-pitch but it wasn’t hurtful to the ears, if anything, her squeak was soft and melodic. “Now,” addressing everyone, “apparently there are orders being taken for what everyone wants in case of dinner. There is a menu being sent around, as given the many people there are in this place, it would be ever helpful to know what you want from it!”  
“You tell us this every time you’re cooking, Morri,” said Porthos.  
Morrigan shrugs. “You know that Michelangelo and Apollo insist on making those menus and ‘taking orders’ whenever I cook. Plus it has helped in where people cannot get away from whatever they were doing.”  
“I thought Minerva was helping you,” said Madam Pomfrey.  
“She is,” Morrigan replies  
“What is on the menu?” asks Moscow.  
“A choice of Shepherd’s pie, three cheese baked penne, potato bake, mini pizzas or spaghetti and meatballs, with the choice sides of garlic bread, salad, buttered corn on the cob and crispy bacon. Should be all ready in less than an hour.”  
Severus didn’t know whether to be hungry or sick listening to this. He knew Morrigan had a brilliant talent for cooking anything and everything. Whilst they were in EWA instead of chasing the rat out of the kitchen with a carving knife, they gave her the carving knife when they learned how she was able to create a near perfect gourmet dinner. Of course in EWA she was restricted, but once free, her restrictions may have changed in ensuring she and her son weren’t caught, but her freedom to cook was limitless. But the thought of food also made his stomach turn a little.  
“Well since the boys are taking up orders, I’ll make sure I have it in mind when they come by,” said Serket, smiling, thinking it was rather cute for the children to want to help in their different ways.  
Morrigan gives a nod, a final smile toward Remus and Severus before leaving.  
Serket turns back to the pair.  
“As far as I know whatever we can do and what you needed to know has been done. Of course if anything comes up, we’ll let you know. Any questions, as you may have in the short future don’t hesitate to ask. With that sorted, I believe you, Severus, ought to get to bed.”  
Again, with the having to move. One positive was that during the examinations, he was given a nice mixture of potions that helped instantly, but he still felt uneasy, with the feeling of needing to vomit.  
Thankfully, not bucket needed, and once in the room that was set up for him and Remus, Severus was welcoming the soft mattress and warm blanketing, crashing almost the moment his head hit the pillow.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _This was meant to be the chapter where greater detail in how Remus and company got Severus out. I think the infirmary requirement and update in what Severus may be dealing with seemed more sense to go first. Pretty sure there was a small brief of how, but not in great detail, which is what I believe may be required._


	14. Decisions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _**Warning; Plausible triggers.** _

Chapter Fourteen  
Decisions

 

Remus woke to the feel of arms going around his waist and lips kissing his back, neck and shoulders. It was just after midnight, Remus amuses Severus a little, by pretending to still be asleep, allowing him to have this moment of bliss and affection. Until, he felt a hand sliding toward the top of his pants, attempting to slide in.  
“Severus?” Remus quietly says, stopping the hand from going further. “Are you sure you want to go there?”  
Silence.  
Remus rolled over to face Severus. The look of uncertainty was looking at him.  
“I don’t know, Moony. I know that I want you, but I don’t want to be in this position either where I feel ashamed, and knowing that there is a chance that I may not be carrying your children, if something does take hold.”  
Exhaling a little too heavily than he intended, Remus pulls Severus into him.  
“You have nothing to be ashamed of, Severus. None of this is your fault! None!” he says.  
“I’m scared Remus.”  
“Of?”  
“That you may hate me for not wanting to see this pregnancy through, if it forms into one... unless I know for sure that they’re yours, which I doubt in this case, I don’t want to be someone else’s incubator.”  
Remus thought of his next words. “Severus, even if we did go have sex right now, there is still no guarantee that any embryos to start forming would be mine; and whatever you decide to do in all of this, in case you do wind up officially pregnant, I will be here to support you. Surely I don’t need to remind you of that. I am not the one with the ability to carry children, so I don’t know what it is like to make those sorts of decisions, Sev. But I will remind you that regardless of what’s happened and why... you are mine! You are my mate, and that, once again, hasn’t changed, nor will it ever. I could never, ever hate you! Not now, not ever.”  
“Really?”  
“I don’t think I ever had the reason to, not even during our time at Hogwarts. Okay, I was a coward in not speaking up back then, I guess I’ve been doing my best to try to make up for it as best I can now that I know you and grown to really care and love you. You’re my other half, maternal father to my children, heck if you choose to go through with this,” placing a hand on Severus’s abdomen, “regardless of the result, I will raise them as though they’re mine. Blood or not. I only want you, Mon Cheri Severus, and whatever hurdles that come with it.”  
Real gratitude and love was written through Severus’s face and body, knowing that every word spoken was reeked with nothing but authentic, genuine honesty.  
“Oh, you’ve more than made up for the past, Remus John Lupin,” he says to Remus, moving to kiss his partner, which was accepted.  
Remus felt the sneaky hand once more, and stopped it.  
“Please, Remus?” Severus pleads in whisper. “Please let me feel you.”  
Hearing this need, and weighing things up, Remus lowered his shorts just enough to allow his partner access.

###

“Daddy!”  
Severus felt little hands tapping him on the head. The tapping feeling more like open handed face plants landing right on his eyes, his nose, wherever they decided to land. He bought a hand up and took hold of one of the hands before it could get him, and bought the other hand around and with curled fingers dug into the soft belly of a now giggling and squealing daughter.  
“Good morning, Miss Freya,” he says when his eyes were open and dragging her into him and nuzzling kisses into her, causing her to squeal with delight even more.  
Remus came in carrying Athena.  
“Wondered where she got to,” he says, with a light chuckle. “Miss Cheeky Freya Angelfish wandered off when I was sorting Miss Athena Butterfly out.”  
“I think she went on a hunt and found what she was looking for,” said Severus, with a small smile.  
He was now sitting up, still holding Freya close, enjoying the fact after so long away, she still knew him as ‘Daddy’ and she was still this cheeky little Munchkin he loved so much; along with his little loving Sweetheart, Athena, who wanted to near launch herself out of her paternal father’s arms and into Severus’s.  
“They had been both been searching for you since your abduction, Severus,” said Remus, placing Athena into Severus’s other arm, and sitting down. “Seeming to just know when you were either in danger and once sensing you were safe, they finally settled, having a much acquired sleep in.”  
Severus held the girls close. “Well, I’m here now,” he says to them, feeling a twang of sadness learning that some of his senses weren’t deceiving him whilst in that hellhole of a place. He knew Remus was worried sick and searching, he sensed his daughters’ restfulness and distress upon their missing their father. Heck, when he was working at Hogwarts during the year, when he knew his daughters needed him, even though he would have come home that very Friday, he was there as soon as the final class of the day was done, just so he could relieve Remus and take over in comforting them.  
He could always tell when they wanted him, or when they wanted Remus, so while he was still struggling to come to terms with what he went through, and what he might go through, he could take comfort in knowing his little girls were now at ease, because they had their Daddy back.  
“I promise to never let something like that happen again,” he mutters to them.  
“We promise to never let something like that happen again,” Remus corrects.  
Severus nods firmly.  
“What exactly had they found out about them, or the tests they were put through?” Severus then asks after a moment’s silence.  
“They simply tested reflexes, hearing and whatever the basics are for a child to be checked over with. While there has been some blood tests done, that was perhaps the only distressing thing they had to endure. I didn’t leave the entire time they were being examined by Serket and the others. They also released information about you and me, stuff they believed that we had every right to know. Of our mutations, the reasons and backgrounds, the plans they had for our children when they discovered your ability to become pregnant. Now been added on with the knowledge that there are two successful and healthy children somewhere in the world that are from our genetic codes.  
“While we won’t really know why Kali and Brigid didn’t make it as far as Freya and Athena have, there was a strong reason as to why they did make it, and will continue to grow up into women in their own right. We were created, or rather you were created, as your body was the one to accept and adapt to the will of producing children as me, to bring back what was believed to be magic of the gods. EWA, it seemed, were only after specific types of people, regardless of their blood status, because at one point we were all connected in varying levels, due to a lot of mixed breeding and so on. Naturally, due to many changes over the dozens of centuries, it was near on lost and forgotten, yet some had the bloodlines that were deeply enriched with the true gods of once upon a time.”  
“Are you saying that we’re carriers of this particular bloodline?” Severus was understandably unsure whether to believe what he was hearing.  
“More than carriers, Severus,” said Remus. “Not really sure how put it all into words, though.”  
“Try.”  
A slight chuckle from Remus; “Oh, Sev, you’re still the same as ever with this stuff.”  
Severus looked pleased to hear that.  
“We’re descendents of the old pure ones, before changes had to be made to protect themselves and anyone connected to them, no matter how slim of the connection. Some of the descendents lost their abilities, resulting in what we call Muggles today, though now and again, a dormant gene will awaken and it is where, in theory, Muggleborns have come to be from Muggle parentage. Others, didn’t lose their abilities, but they were weakened significantly over the years, some had made it their mission to try and bring that back, much to the point where they simply lost why they were doing it in the first place, but we can guess were Purebloods within the witches and wizards come along, not in full, it’s theory, like that of the Muggleborns.”  
“Then explain the Squibs?”  
“The ‘god gene’ lost its spark to carry on down the line. Again, theory based.”  
“God gene?”  
“I did not come up with it! Someone way, way before Dr Leroy Orson came up with that name.”  
“What does that have to do with mutating us?”  
“Because the gods of the old magic weren’t always what they appeared to be, they could transform to look exactly like a human, or whatever they deemed suitable. Think of Zeus for example changing into a bull or a shower of gold.”  
“You just bought a whole new meaning to golden shower!” Severus made a face.  
“Probably where people got the inspiration from.”  
“Yes, because being pissed on is so liberating, as opposed to having actual gold water coming down from the sky.”  
Remus was doing his best to contain himself.  
“I am guessing that the mutation wasn’t so much a mutation, more of an awakening to dormant gene codes or whatever they are?” Severus goes to say, to try and spare his partner from losing it all together in a fit of laughter.  
“In certain ways, yes, in other ways, it’s still a mystery at the moment. What we did find out, though, is that it is believed there is some prophecy about powerful magic of the gods is to return and... the some will wish to come and exploit the one who has survived every single one of their trials, including the survival of childbirth... and the one who helped conceive the offspring to ensure the security of building an army to control.”  
“Army? You mean... these two are seen as some army?” Severus looks down at Athena and Freya, who were moving about, playing with his hair, or going over to Remus to get hugs from him, or just lazing against Severus’s chest.  
“I don’t know how much of the so called prophecy is true. I only know that regardless of what others are wanting us to do, or force you to do, given the recent events that have happened, our children are not going to become some experimental army for whatever scheme they want them for.”  
“Like bloody hell they will,” Severus’s eyes darkened a little at the thought of Freya and Athena being used and abused for another person’s gain.  
Remus nods with agreement and says; “That is why, after speaking to Minerva of our options, and only after discussing this with you, first, is that there is a possibility of delaying our daughters’ exposure for as long as we’re able. Meaning, we can delay their entry into Hogwarts, keep them away from any eyes that would be looking for them.”  
“For how long?” Severus asks, peaking at this with interest.  
“We can go for until they have turned thirteen, fourteen or fifteen, the choice is up to us. According to Minerva the reason for this is because of some registry ruling or whatever she explained. I have a feeling it maybe to do with OWLs or other importance attached. Before that, they can be taught whatever we deem fit to teach them, with naturally some of the subjects they would like to receive within Hogwarts, obviously. Secure wands on their eleventh birthday, as it’s a given they’re going to receive them, so may as well keep to that rite of passage.”  
“What of the letters they’re likely to receive?”  
“Minerva told us to not worry about it, we can discuss it with our girls, obviously, as this is their future and they ought to have some say, should they choose to attend right at the very start like many others do, or hold off until the age we set for them, where we would have nearly to no choice but to let them go and attend.”  
Severus thought this over, rubbing Athena’s little back with his hand, and gently getting Freya to stop playing with his hair, as she was starting to get a little too hard with her grabbing.  
“I believe that regardless of when they do attend, I will be there to keep an eye on them for when they do,” he says carefully.  
Remus was a little surprised by this. “Are you sure?”  
Severus nods. “I am sure.”

###

Finally, Severus was relieved to see that his colours had faded, but he saw that they hadn’t faded completely. His heart skipped a beat when he knew then and there that conception had well and truly taken place.  
“Remember,” Remus tells him firmly, when he was given the news. “Whatever you decide, I am backing you, one hundred percent.”  
Severus was glad he had that assurance, but in truth, he didn’t know what to do. For two whole weeks his colours had been showing, and there were a number of times Remus was allowed to ‘follow his instinct’ and dominate Severus, going in without a condom. At least, (from Severus’s point of view), he was being penetrated by someone he knew. Someone who knew how to allow him to enjoy it... unlike the person who forced their way and caused him to bleed as a result, and the White Coats not particularly worrying or caring about this, so it was with this slight pain he still had within the area that had Remus be extra gentle with Severus, not wanting him to be in pain.  
“How am I to keep this from Albus and the Ministry?” Severus whispers.  
“We will find a way, Mon Cheri,” Remus assures. “If you want to go through with this pregnancy.”  
Severus held the hand that was against his cheek. His body wanted him to keep this going, but his heart was telling him otherwise. He was torn in what he wanted to do, until he started shaking his head, going over everything in his head, not looking right in his partner’s eyes, as he started to feel tears rolling.  
Remus cocks his head to see this, and he knew then that, even if there was a chance that if there was any chance of any of him being successful in conceiving anything against the massive sperm cluster that was already inside of Severus lying in wait, Severus didn’t want to go through with it. Severus, as much as he really wouldn’t have minded the idea of another child or two, siblings for the daughters they already had, he just didn’t know how he was going to be able to cope and he didn’t want to have a living reminder of someone else being inside him, or being injected with other sperm.  
“I’ll let Serket, Porthos and Madam Pomfrey know, so they can put everything in place,” Remus gently says, managing to meet Severus’s eyes.  
Weakly, Severus just nods.

###

“Are you sure that this is what you wish to do, Severus?” Madam Pomfrey asks. Not an ounce of judgment to be heard from her voice, nor seen on her face. But she had to be sure that the decision was correct before proceeding.  
Severus did go silent for a moment, as though to really think and know what his gut and heart truly wanted, as to what his developing womb wanted.  
“I know it is the right decision, Poppy,” he then says, his voice did tremble a little.  
He was in his own home, on his own bed. He wanted to be where he was most comfortable for this to happen. Remus was standing by. Their daughters were still back in New York with Splinter, Morrigan, Moscow and Minerva McGonagall.  
Extra reinforced powers and such had been put in place well before they reset foot back on their massive property, making it now impossible for any helicopters or any persons who, even if they did know the location of the property, wouldn’t be able to enter, because of a simple parchment with names of those who are allowed to enter past the barrier, and strongly connected to the said barrier. Not even the Minister of Magic may enter for example. This was discovered when they had been able to tap a little more into their abilities after learning what they had and the extent these powers can actually go... within reason of course.  
Serket steps forward with the vials of potions she had been holding.  
“You will be taking these one at a time,” she instructs, picking up the first of them and unsealing it. “This will start the process, it may take up to an hour to two hours to take effect.” She gives it to Severus, who for a split second hesitated, before downing it, it had a sweet and sour taste to it. Once this was all gone, Serket uncorks the next one. “To ensure when you start to bleed, and you will, you won’t suffer any extremely heavy blood loss. This one may need to be taken again a few times, depending on the flow.” Again, this time without wavering, Severus took it. “This one will help to decrease the pains you’re likely to receive during the course of this procedure. Similar to the second one you took, you may be needing to take this more than once.” She then showed him two of the very last vials she had. “Whereas this one... this one you will be able to take after you’ve cleared out.”  
“What do they do?” Severus was unfamiliar with these potions.  
“One will stop you from having more children. It won’t stop your phase, or the instinct to reproduce, but you just won’t conceive. The other will still allow you to have children, if you so wish to, but only the sperm of the one you want to have the children with will be the one who gets that honour. Anyone else’s will just simply be expelled or killed off, rendered useless.”  
Severus stared at the two vials, one containing a turquoise blue liquid, while the other was more of a minty green. He looks at Serket, mixed with surprise and gratefulness. “Thank you.”  
Serket places a comforting hand on his shoulder. “You’re among trusted friends and family here, Severus. You’re not the only one who’s done what they believed was the right thing to do.”  
“Do believe I am doing the right thing?”  
A kind smile inches upon Serket’s lips. “Do you believe this is the right thing to do?”  
Severus nods slowly. “Yes.”  
“I believe in what you believe is to be correct in this scenario, my friend. I was with you during your first pregnancy, helped make sure that you got through it safely. Just like we are doing the same here.”  
“How long will this take?”  
“Once it truly starts, it can take up to two weeks to be fully cleared of any or all bleeding.”  
“Don’t worry!” Remus pipes up when he saw the sudden worry on his partner’s face when he realised how long it would drag over when it came to certain days. “Minerva and Poppy, right here, have your back when it comes to getting back to work at Hogwarts!”  
“You’ve come down with a severe case of the flu,” Madam Pomfrey says in this matter-of-factly-don’t-question-it tone. “You were ordered bed rest and to be contained away from the students until I deem you well enough to work again.”  
With that, Severus settled down to wait for the course of ending this pregnancy to begin.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _I had been wracking my mind on which way to go with this. I knew from get go Severus was going to end up pregnant. I just wasn’t sure which road I wanted him to take, until I knew for certain it was the right one! Not so much by me, though I am writing it, but by Severus himself. I wanted to make sure I was writing him with as much dignity and justice, despite what he gets tossed into. Let’s face it, I care very much about this character, as well as Remus and those who are allies, so getting it correct is crucial for me._


	15. Unexpected

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _**Warning triggers ahead.** _

Chapter Fifteen  
Unexpected

 

“How is he?”  
“Seeming to be more at ease than what he’s been in a very long time,” Remus answers Splinters question, taking the offering of the mug of green tea.  
“What of the loss he’s enduring?”  
Remus replies after taking a sip of the refreshing beverage. “Still a little mixed over it, but at the end, he knew it was meant to be this way. He just was not willing to carry on with something that was forced on to him.”  
Splinter once used to be in the belief that once pregnant, the person ought to keep it regardless, but after what has happened to one of his closest friends and the horrible circumstances that surrounded the whole thing and why, he now understood as to why, perhaps, certain women... or men... needed to do what they do. It wasn’t so much Severus hadn’t really thought this through, if anything he weighed up every single possible solution and for him it all pointed one way, as opposed to the other.  
“How are you in all of this?” Splinter decides to ask.  
“A little sad, I am not going to lie, I wouldn’t have minded another child. But this was always going to be Severus’s choice, and will always be his choice. He isn’t sure if he wants to ever have any more, he hasn’t made that decision yet, which is fair, it’s a lot to consider. Right now I believe it’s more concentrating on the now, rather than the unwritten future,” Remus didn’t hold back his truth.  
“A wise way to look at it,” Splinter comments kindly.  
“Only way to look at it from my stand point.”  
“Fair point.”  
A little later Remus had gone back on upstairs with a tray of food and reaching their room.  
Two days had passed since the start of the process of eliminating the pregnancy and Severus was near on bedridden as a result, though the pain relief potions were helping in taking off the edge, but it didn’t stop the discomfort.  
Severus did sense his partner’s pang of sadness when the first drops of blood started to show, to start the inevitable, but he also sensed his support to be stronger.  
“How are you feeling?” Remus asks, approaching and setting the tray down on the bedside table.  
“Like a waterfall is escaping and not sure how to describe the heavy feeling that’s going on down there.”  
“At least you have a better idea on the woman’s anatomy after what you’ve experienced,” Remus tried to be humorous.  
Severus tried to narrow his eyes, but betrayed it with a slight smile.  
“Well... this ought to help in explaining to Freya and Athena what to expect when they hit puberty I suppose.”  
“Er... that is if they do end up having periods like any other ordinary human girl,” Remus decides to say.  
This cocks an eyebrow from Severus. “Come again?”  
“Let’s just say that instead of periods, they might end up down the path of going on heat, which is slightly different. Don’t ask me how, it’s just what I’ve been told.”  
“Oh, wonderful,” Severus said with sarcasm, before grimacing a little.  
Remus placed a warmed up hand on Severus’s bare abdomen, the heat was an instant feel of relief, it also caused him to frown a little when he felt a near on tsunami sensation pouring out from between his legs and a stretching sensation where he really had to grit his teeth.  
“I’ll get Serket,” said Remus.  
It was agreed among the three medics that they would take rounds in staying around and monitoring Severus during the entire thing to make sure he was still safe.  
Within seconds Serket had entered after being called by Remus from the doorway; seeing the situation straight away and pulled the sheeting away. (The bedding was completely covered and made suited for what was to come, as while he was padded for the start, Serket and Porthos advised that it was best that he stay padded free, as gross as it sounded, allowing for whatever that needed to come out to be given a clear run, plus it was easier to replace sheets).  
“This is not what we were expecting at all,” she said, trying not to sound too alarmed after examining the area.  
“Expecting what?” Remus asks.  
“Severus, you’re going to need to start pushing, as it appears that you are crowning.”  
“Pushing?” Severus cried, before pain swept up and he gritted his teeth again.  
“Crowning?” says a stunned Remus.  
Serket said carefully to the very confused couple; “It appears that the embryos developed faster than first theorised. Remember, you did carry your daughters until you were thirty-four weeks along, but even then, you did have a relatively near normal human pregnancy, with some obvious differences. We didn’t know if it was because of the amount of babies you were carrying, or if it was the actual development itself, or combination of both. We were virtually almost blind. Compared to now, when we did scan you before all of this to see how many or how far along you may have been to get the dosage right and safely get you through this. But this changes things.”  
Curious, yet concerned on what he was feeling, almost forgetting that Remus was there, but seeming to not care, pulled back the covers, and saw, right upon the sheeting, two tiny near human looking foetuses resting in the deep dark red blood, were two.  
“I remember Porthos explaining that the scan itself may have been off by a few days,” said Remus.  
“This may have also been miscalculated from what we’re seeing,” said Serket. “The scans had you at about six to seven weeks along based on the growth development, or equivalent to around then, it may have been plausible that between having the scan and the three days later when this started they might have grown more than first anticipated.”  
Severus held in a sharp breath, before grunting against the wave of agonising pain he was feeling, followed by a downward pressure.  
“How much further are you talking, Serket?” Remus asked, as he could see as much as Severus wanted to ask these things, he wasn’t exactly able to.  
“Uncertain, until they come out,” Serket kept calm. “We are, however, going to need Porthos and Poppy.”  
“On it!”  
“No! Don’t leave!” Severus begged in this panicked tone.  
Remus thought on his feet and called for Splinter to come up.  
As soon as he saw Splinter he told him what was needed to be done. No questions asked, Splinter was on to it, allowing Remus to get back to his partner, just as the entire head came out followed by the body.  
Seeing this teeny tiny thing, heaps smaller than what their daughters were when born, coming out of Severus and guided on to the sheets by Serket’s careful hands was surreal. It made not a single sound. Serket checked it over. They could see just how, even if it did make it to whatever term it was meant to have reached, it may not have survived.  
Deformed in the face and hands and just not at all showing any sign of breathing through what might have been its mouth... or was it the nose...? Even the genitals wasn’t recognisable, forming into nothing that could establish male or female.  
Madam Pomfrey and Porthos appeared almost as soon as Serket was placing the dead deformed foetus into a bedpan after she had cut the cord that it had.  
“Oh my,” said the Medic-witch upon the sight of it.  
“With your permission, we would like to get this to Moscow for autopsy, try and understand what has happened?” Serket was careful.  
Severus slowly nodded, mixed by the sight he saw, watching as Porthos sensitively had the foetus placed into an air sealed container. He knew that one wasn’t Remus’s, the sensing was all wrong to detect anything that matched his partner’s genetic code. But still, he didn’t know that it might affect him in this way.  
“I need to be in water,” he found himself saying.  
But before he was able to be moved, another onslaught overcame him and within moments, another foetus came out, this one being much smaller than the first one, not completely deformed, except for, perhaps, the spine being more humped than it probably should be, this one clearly showing to have been a boy and, like the first one, was born unresponsive, but then it did resemble that of a thirteen week foetus, compared to the first, where it may have passed for around eighteen weeks.  
After that, it was like an flow on affect, the scan did pick up eight inside of Severus – which nearly caused both him and Remus to near on collapse with shock at the sight, they thought four was shocking, but eight?  
“You were practically going to be forced to carry as many as they were able to get you to carry at each time,” they remember Porthos explaining to them. “Weren’t particularly worrying about your due care to do it.”  
“Explains why I got so fat so quick!” Severus mutters.  
How ironic those words would have more meaning to it after seeing the first two, now three... no four coming out of him. Not once did he sense an inkling of his partner’s genes within them. Nor with the fifth one, which looked to be more around the tenth week. All of them were had their own separate sack.  
Once the fifth one had been expelled, Severus’s body was virtually exhausted, physically and emotionally.  
“They’re nearly all out, Severus,” Serket gently says.  
Severus had his head resting upon Remus’s shoulder, lips trembling, tears rolling down, shivering a little. He was pale, sweating and really, really wanted to be in a tub of water. Not once had Remus left his side, unless it was necessary, throughout this currently going into a seven hour ordeal and still counting by the clock.  
“I need to rest,” Severus whimpers. “Please, can’t this just stop for awhile?”  
Sympathetically Serket and Madam Pomfrey both shook their heads.  
“We can give you a small dose of adrenaline potion that helps in giving that extra push to get through,” Serket tells him.  
Porthos, who had been running the embryos to Moscow the moment they were expelled, re-entered the room.  
“Poppy, can you pass me that vial, please? Plus that other one, with the red and white mixture?”  
“Is there anything I can do?” Porthos asks, as Madam Pomfrey went to get the vials.  
“I believe we need a fresh bowl of water and clean cloths,” said Serket.  
“On it,” said Porthos, hopping to it.  
Severus took the potions without asking, he didn’t need to. He wanted this to be over, he wanted to rest, but he knew these were helping him.  
Ten minutes after consuming the potions, he felt a little more ‘pepped’ but not completely, though enough to know that the other potion had kicked in, feeling the wave trickling out, this one didn’t hurt as much, feeling more like sharp cramping, the kind he felt when he had the scare back during the early stages of learning he was pregnant and saw a small smidgen of blood and thinking the worst.  
Remus held Severus firm as he watch the last three normal appearing five to seven week embryos being expelled on out to the awaiting towel.  
Severus had his eyes closed when he felt the clots passing. He didn’t grieve for the first five, because they weren’t supposed to be inside him in the first place, as far as he and, perhaps, his own body with the way most of them had formed the way they did, even if he did feel a little sad upon seeing them; but these three... they were different... he knew then that these three weren’t the forced impregnation he was given, these three, alien looking jellybeans, but still every bit normal...  
He felt the arms going around his upper arms and a gentle face going into the side nook of his neck and shoulder. Severus knew that Remus also knew then and there that those were 'their' embryos, just starting to take shape were of their matched genetic coding.  
“We’ll take extra care of these ones,” Porthos promises, when he was given the towel, sensing what had just happened.  
After Severus had been examined and given the all clear to move, and glad that he didn’t require any stitching and that he should heal just fine with the proper care and treatment to the area, he was finally permitted to move, but his legs had nearly lost their ability to function and he was just sore. Feeling extra worse than he did when he had his daughters.  
He wasn’t without help, the shower had been put on before he got anywhere near it and heated up, Remus guided him to it, not giving much care to the blood that was dripping down on to the carpeting and tiles, easing Severus into the much needed water, helping to sit upon the floor.  
“I’m sorry, Remus,” Remus hears.  
He peers down at Severus, as he was kneeling and helping in watching him down. Severus looked as though he was almost staring off into space, but was still highly aware of what was around him, or what had happened over the past number of hours.  
Remus lowered down, placing a couple of fingers under his partner’s chin, coaxing him to look at him.  
“You did the right thing, Mon Cheri Sev,” he said firmly.  
“But...” Severus goes to say.  
Remus stops him; “I know, Severus, I know. But, I think we can both agree that doing what you did may have just saved your life, even at the sacrifice of our own flesh and blood.”  
“I just didn’t expect to feel like this,” Severus mutters.  
Not caring about getting wet, since he was already getting water on himself by helping Severus, Remus wraps his arms around him.  
“We will get through this together.”

###

By the time Severus was able to get out of the shower and be comfortably dressed and padded, he saw that the entire area had been cleaned up, with freshly cleaned sheets on the bed and not a trace of blood, vomit or any other bodily fluids the poor bloke ended up excreting during the entire process was left.  
There was even the added touch of lavender, chamomile and sandalwood coming from incense burners in different points in the room.  
“We’re going to be burning the sheets and towels as was agreed upon, controlled fire, naturally,” said Serket. “When we know more of why things had exhilarated the way they did, but even when we do learn of what needs to be, we will be holding off until you are ready to know yourselves. Right now, you, Severus, are to rest and recover, nothing overly strenuous or anything that may cause a setback in your healing.”  
Madam Pomfrey comes in with more vials of potions in hand.  
“More potions?” Severus tried to not groan.  
“Well, unless you wish to run the risk of really bleeding out, infection or immense pain, yes, more potions,” said Madam Pomfrey. “You may be the first case I’ve dealt with in the male having children department, regardless of circumstance, I can sure bet that like some of the girls I’ve had to deal with, you’re like to require the same to similar treatments. With slight changes that fit your anatomy, of course.”  
“Plus, if you require dreamless sleep,” the nurse goes to add, only for Severus to speak once he sat on his side of the bed; “Thank you, Madam Pomfrey, but it is a potion I’ve had to take on occasion already.”  
“Oh?”  
“Severus has occasional night terrors and post-trauma that wakes him up during the night,” Remus simply explains.  
“Explains why you’re so good at keep up the stocks for Dreamless Sleep potion,” says Madam Pomfrey.  
Severus wanted to reply, but couldn’t see himself in the mood for talking, just taking the potions he was offered.  
“We will leave you two alone. Do not worry about your daughters, they’ve been well looked after and from what I am understanding they are coping just fine right now,” Serket tells them. “I do recommend that you wait until tomorrow to see them, that way it gives you both much needed space to come to terms in what’s happened, unless you feel you need the presence of your daughters.”  
“I am sure Freya and Athena will be okay with Splinter and whoever else is watching them at this present time, Serket, thank you,” Remus said politely, while Severus just sat and said nothing.  
“Some food will be bought up, as well,” were the last words given before Serket and Madam Pomfrey left.  
Remus closed the door, and returned to Severus, kneeling in front of him.  
“Is there anything you need right now?” he asks.  
Severus wanted to speak, but didn’t know what he wanted to say, let alone what he wanted.  
“To be told that everything is going to be okay and that I didn’t make a mistake,” he then replies to Remus, before once again displaying tears.  
Remus was quick to pull Severus to him, firmly planting a kiss on his forehead and carefully get them to be lying on the bed, where he placed a warmed up hand on Severus’s abdomen, knowing just how much alleviation it gave, and gently stroking the black hair away from his forehead to gently trace his fingers along it.  
He spoke softly in fluent French to Severus; _“Mon Cheri Sev, nous allons passer, car je t'aime plus que tu ne pourrais l'imaginer. Vous n’avez pas commis d’erreur, bien que cela puisse paraître comme cela à l’heure actuelle, à cause de la façon dont cela s’est déroulé. Mais toi, mon amour, tu es sain et sauf avec moi. Vous êtes courageux dans votre choix et je serai toujours là pour vous aider, comme vous le savez trop bien maintenant.”_  
Remembering the day Severus learned that Remus knew French he pretty much near on jumped him wanting to rip his clothes off, speaking just as fluent French right on back. Of course these days the wanting to rip into each other over the language has all but died down, it was the language they shared a joy for and spoke when the other really needed the comfort... or wanted to speak in a tongue people probably had no idea how to speak.  
Severus had lost his ability to speak again, but his body language was enough for Remus to know that he understood and got in as close as possible to him, as another tear escaped down his face.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Translation from Google translate, (don’t hate if it’s not overly correct, though it was pretty close going the other way around, lol); “My darling, Sev, we will get through, for I love you more than you could ever imagine. You didn't make a mistake, though it may seem that way at this time, because of the way it played out. But you, my love, are safe and sound, with me. You're brave in the choice you've made and I will always be here to help you through, as you know too well by now.”_
> 
> _At least it makes sense as to why they refer each other as Mon Cheri now... though I was originally going for ‘My dear’(which I found out is actually Mon Cher, not Mon Cheri... Ma Cher and Ma Chere is the female version from what I found, do correct me if I am wrong here). The fun and joys of trying to find terms of endearment in different languages._
> 
> _No, I do not speak fluent French, only knowing a few actual words. Though it’s nice to dream that one can._


	16. Perfect

Chapter Sixteen  
Perfect

 

_Three years later;_

Squeals of delight rang on through the air, followed by as big of a splash as her little body could make after being tossed into the lake by her father.  
“Do me Dad! Do me!” cries Freya, grinning with anticipation.  
Remus grins as he picks up his now five year old daughter and gets her into position, waits until Athena swam out of the way before doing the exact same toss he did, which sent Freya screaming with giggles into the air before she, too, like her twin, landed right in the water.  
Today was the twenty-sixth of August, Freya and Athena’s fifth birthday, and to celebrate their two fathers had decided to put on a good decent party for them at the lake, naturally inviting Splinter and the Turtles, however, they also couldn’t forget Morrigan and Apollo, and one newer addition, Kimika, nestled nice and snug in Splinter’s loving and protective arms, born two months previous, in June. She was nearly camouflaged because she inherited her father’s brown fur, her little white hands and feet were white, like her mother’s with a small touch of black upon her head, which was actual human hair, a small reminder of her mother being a mixture of human and rat.  
Learning of Morrigan being pregnant to Splinter was a bit of a surprise, but the news was fast welcomed, especially with five doting older brothers and two over adoring cousins for Kimika to play with, well... when she’s older, for right now all she cared for was to sleep in her parents’ arms, unless she wanted to be fed.  
Admittedly, Apollo wasn’t sure of the whole idea of his mother being with Splinter, at first, his worries growing worse when the pregnancy was announced. But Splinter made sure that Apollo’s concerns were proved to be unfounded, as he was just as strongly accepted as one of his own, even allowing him into the dojo with his Turtles, Athena and Freya and learn Ninjitsu with them and treating like another son.  
Plus pointing out that the Turtles had already pretty much adopted the black and white mutant rat as another brother before their parents even looked at each other with affection.  
“Woohoo!” Leonardo calls out as he swang on the rope that hung on the tree and let go to crash nicely into the water of one of the lagoons that made up the entire area.  
“Come on Apollo!” Raphael calls out from on top of the waterfall slide.  
“No... no thank you!” Apollo replies staying comfortably where he was on the rock with his feet in the water.  
“Still not keen on swimming?”  
Apollo looks up to see Splinter. “Nope,” he answers.  
With a chuckle, he sits beside his stepson, taking extra care of his daughter. “Don’t worry, I’m not really one for it, either,” he said.  
“You’re not?”  
Splinter shakes his head. “Only when it is necessary, otherwise, I am quite happy being a land dwelling rat.”  
“I think Mom must have gotten essence of water rat, given that she hasn’t gotten out yet,” Apollo says, now watching Morrigan over at the second lagoon helping Donatello test out his new invention of a remote control power-boat. Before that she was quite happy to be referee to the dive for rings challenge in the shallowest, (but still deep enough) of the three lagoons, that Remus and Severus set up. Again, something Apollo wasn’t keen on participating in, he didn’t miss out, however, as there were other games that were to his liking given it was dry land that are yet to be played out, it was more that this first hour, right after the very first party game ‘Dive for rings’ was for free play; which is what they were doing now.  
Splinter smiles. “Some are more adapted to the water than others. You know Remus doesn’t always join Severus and his daughters in the water either, preferring to participate on the side, like he is doing right now.”  
Saying this as Freya was gleefully flying through the air again and into the lake, splashing Severus and Michelangelo for being close to where she landed.  
“How is that not scaring them?” Apollo wonders aloud, stunned on how near daredevil the twins were.  
“Your Turtle brothers were just as bad and just outrages in their ventures, I think they gotten more bold over the years, however.”  
“I don’t know if I could ever be that bold,” Apollo mutters.  
“You are in bold in other things, Apollo, so don’t be too harsh in not being daring in other aspects, just be you,” said Splinter, placing a supporting hand on his stepson’s shoulder.  
Apollo smiles.  
Soon, it was time for a round of snacks before the next party game; pass-the-parcel with a twist.  
“As like a normal game of pass-the-parcel you pass it along until the music stops and then you open the paper. But, we decided to make it interesting, instead of just getting the little novelty prize, you need to find the item that is in the picture, sort of like a scavenger or treasure hunt,” Remus explains.  
This got the children keen.  
Severus turned on the player;  
_“Yo, I’ll tell you what I want, what I really, really want. So, tell me what you want, what you really, really want -”_  
“Who in Merlin’s name decided to put the Spice Girls in the mix?” Severus exclaims as though his ears were being assaulted, stopping the player at once, causing a mass of giggles from a certain pair of girls.  
“Gotchya Daddy!” Freya grins.  
Severus turns to his husband. “Did you put them up to this?”  
Remus tried to look innocent over the little prank, but his eyes betrayed him, because Severus knew him all too well.  
“Maybe...”  
“What’s wrong with the Spice Girls?” Michelangelo asks. “They may have been disbanded years ago, but their music is still good.”  
“Their music, as you call it, isn’t something that I am fond of,” Severus says simply, pressing the button that forward to the next song.  
“Bit like how you’re not into The Offspring,” Splinter gives a good example.  
The player was put back on with a song from Hilary Duff, something Severus didn’t bother to question when he found out about some show called Lizzie McGuire that the twins seemed to have both found an interest in, among other things, such as The Wild Thornberries, Bratz Dolls and following their Turtle friends, (and Apollo) in skateboards, Beyblades and whatever else, given that Remus wasn’t as over strict in what the girls were allowed to be interested in, so long as there was limits, naturally.  
As the parcel was passed about, anticipation grew, until the music stopped and the parcel was in Donatello’s hands.  
Excitedly, he rips the paper and finds the photo of the item he was meant to find, a yellow bucket used for making sandcastles with. The purple wearing Turtle got to his feet and scanned the area carefully. He saw a rainbow coloured one near one of the trees, a transparent pink one by one of the caves, and even a blue one that had the look of a castle located at the rock pool. He moved around and looked for the bucket he was to find and it didn’t take long for him to find the only yellow bucket, peeking out from behind one of the larger rocks.  
As it turned out, the first seven were all pictures of the different buckets, this got everyone really curious as to why that was. There was no doubt that Athena was mighty pleased that she got the transparent pink one, Raphael wasn’t so sure about getting the bucket that had a picture of a My Little Pony on it, was happy to swap with Freya with the square shaped red one she got.  
It appeared that there was near common theme to this pass-the-parcel, as the next items they had to find were a series of items that helped to put sand into the buckets or mould them, such as little spades, rakes and moulds of various shapes. There were also random items such as a rubber chicken, a fake lei and even a little broomstick that hovers over the palm.  
The winning item, which landed in Raphael’s hands, was small bag of goodies, including Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans and normal Muggle lollipops.  
“Can anyone figure out what the next game is going to be?” Remus asks the kids.  
“Making sandcastles? Seeing as there is a sandpit over there that we know wasn’t there until today,” Leonardo guessed.  
“Close,” said Remus. “As you can see there are three marked out squares, those are where you’re going to divide into three teams and build whatever sand sculpture you like. However, you will notice there are flags that match the colour of the designated zone, pink, black and light blue.”  
“What are those for?” Apollo asks.  
“That’s the surprise of it, you won’t know until you start building the sculptures,” says Remus.  
“Buried treasure mixed with a sand build,” Donatello puts it simply, looking with thorough interest on what could be under those flags.  
“The buckets with the items you’ve collected are allowed to be used however you see fit on your builds,” Remus adds, as Severus moves to stand beside him with seven 20 centimetre sticks wrapped in the same coloured paper. “To decide who is on which team, it’s a matter of taking the end of one of the flags and take the paper off to see what colour the flag is.”  
Each of the children took the small flags and eagerly took off the paper to see their colours.  
“YES! I got black!” Freya cheers, seeing the little triangle shaped material on hers.  
“Aaawww! Pink?” Raphael groans.  
“You do know pink is a shade of red, don’t you?” Donatello grins at his brother, who was also holding a pink flag.  
“I like pink,” Athena says quietly, holding her pink flag up.  
“Only because it’s your colour, I’ll be okay with it for this game,” says Raphael.  
“Now that you know your teams you can head on over and start building, but, something you need to know, when you hear this song...”  
Severus presses play on the player...  
_“Hiya Barbie! Hi Ken! You want to go for a ride? Sure Ken! Jump in! I’m a Barbie girl in a Barbie World!”_  
Remus raises his brows at Severus, who gave the expression of, _‘did you really think I wasn’t going to get you back for the bloody Spice Girls song?’_  
Again fits of laughter were high.  
Severus fixed the player to the original song that was to be the final countdown song, (Simple Plan ‘Grow up’) was heard;  
“When this song ends, that means it’s the end of building and must step away from what you made. Oh, and girls, no using your powers!”  
“Aw, nuts!” said Freya with a little pout, crossing her arms.  
“Okay Dad,” said Athena simply.  
The kids all hurried to their areas and started to plan and so on.  
“Who came up with this idea?” Morrigan asks, impressed by the visual of the three groups working together.  
“Remus did,” said Severus, leaning against the boulders the player was set upon. “Most of these games came from him in truth.”  
“Except for the scavenger hunt for the next game in the pass-the-parcel, that was Severus, figuring the old fashioned game was too boring.”  
“Well, it is! How is it seen as exciting to just sit there in a circle passing a multilayered thing around and getting this cheap little chocolate or toy that no kid is going to play with? Plus, while I don’t know if they were begging you or not, the girls wanted a treasure hunt, so why not kill two birds with one stone?”  
“Yes, they had nagged to me, too, Severus,” said Remus, amused.  
“Whoa!” they hear surprised but thrilled cries coming from the sandpit.  
The blue team – Apollo and Leonardo – had dug up a little toy bridge from one of their flags after remembering that stuff were buried under them.  
“Typical, once they all see the possibilities of what could be under those flags, they all start going for them,” says Severus, amused by how Freya and Raphael went to their coloured flags to start digging up whatever treasures awaited for them.  
“Mikey and Asami look like they’re trying to build a Mad Hatter’s tea party,” Morrigan giggles, she had adopted Splinter’s Japanese nicknames for Freya and Athena.  
“You can see a pretty detailed castle with the Don, Raph and Athena,” Remus also comments.  
“And... I don’t know if that is meant to be a sandman, a robot or an alien,” says Severus looking at Apollo and Leonardo’s creation to be.  
“So, how is the judging to work to determine the winner?” Morrigan asks.  
“The kids will each score between one and five, but because there is three on the pink team, they will have to decide which two will score, or however. Write it down without anyone seeing and we just count them up,” said Remus. “There is a first, second and third prize. Not that the kids worry about that, obviously, just more toward the fun of it.”  
“Plus with some of the items they’ve found and dug up, they’ll be amused or pleased,” said Severus.  
He was right about this, it wasn’t just items for their constructions the children were digging up, there were also well sealed bags of sweets and savoury style snacks, whacky quills and other nice simple well to do things that could be of some use.  
When the final song started, that was went the real scrambled happened to finish.  
In the end, Apollo and Leonardo’s ‘Warrior Sandman’ complete with sword, castle to defend and even the lei Leonardo got from the scavenger hunt, was used to decorate the bridge. They had each received a brand new set of coloured markers that were scented.  
“Thank you!” they were very pleased by this. Since Apollo loved to draw and Leonardo just needed new markers as his old ones had all dried up.  
Soon, it was time to pack up and head back to the house, where the rest of the party was to be held.  
There, it was organised chaos, with getting the children to get themselves ready and sorted to settle on down for the birthday cake and into the living area that was turned into sleeping area with mattresses and couches ready for the children to settle upon, all facing a nice decent sized screen.  
Remus and Severus don’t usually have this screen out all that often, while they didn’t worry so much if they had a little more screen time when they were with Splinter and Morrigan, (and even then, they had similar rules over television and what goes on it), today was one of those special occasions where it was every bit allowed.  
It was nice to know they had been able to find and manipulate certain things within the magic world to allow for the muggle one to coexist as though they always had been... not that the Ministry, or Dumbledore, or whoever they didn’t feel the need to include in their circle needed to know this fact, of course.  
As far as the Ministry is concerned, they’ve tried to reign the pair in a number of times, trying to put a lid on their abilities, a couple of times there were even near misses of being taken. They were still furious, none so more than Dumbledore, though he didn’t display any loss of temper, just a stinging ray of disappointment that Severus would not cooperate with him and allow him to see the children.  
Severus and Remus both knew the real reason behind this and weren’t going to bend on their vow to not ever allow this man to do anymore harm to their family.  
But right now, neither of the two were thinking about it, they were too wrapped up in the serving cake and getting the children to settle down on either the mattresses and couches, with the adults lounging on double recliners – Splinter and Morrigan sharing one (Kimika was within her bassinette fast asleep), and Remus and Severus sharing the other – they were all ready to enjoy the movie, _‘Finding Nemo’_. Also the four adults had taken quiet bets on who would be the first to crash be out and who would last the entire movie.  
A nice way to end what had been a perfect fifth birthday celebration for two special young girls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Yes, I jumped ahead in years. Don’t worry, there will be little one shorts or short stories of how and so on things happened the way they did, including a story based mostly on Splinter and Morrigan and how they ended up being together.  
>  This story also did need a light chapter amongst the darker ones. You will find as the children get older, the more humorous they will become, as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are well known for their funny moments and can’t deny there were some really amusing moments in the Harry Potter books too._


	17. Words

Chapter Seventeen  
Words

 

“What are you thinking?”  
Remus felt his husband’s arms snaking around his waist and drawing closer to him.  
“Whether what we’re doing is the right thing to do,” Remus says.  
It was the very next morning, day after their daughters’ birthday, all was still very quiet, possible indication on some were either still sleeping, or if awake quietly just lying where they were or sitting up doing a quiet activity.  
“Hmm, doubts are normal,” says Severus reasonably.  
“You’re taking this well,” said Remus, turning his head a little, just seeing the outline of his other half from his peripheral vision.`  
“Because you and I both know the girls, while still not being exposed to the wizarding world because of the ironclad protection we placed on them, where even if people learn of them, they still won’t be able to touch them.”  
Remus rests his head back down, feeling a soft pair of lips on the back of his neck, doing a pretty good at comforting him.  
“That’s just it, people do know of them,” he points out.  
“True, but they haven’t ever seen them, now have they?”  
“Well... no... you won’t take them to Hogwarts with you, even for a day visit, because of the obvious. I won’t take them to Diagon Alley or anywhere else that could cause people to figure out who they are within the community, putting even more risk on to them,” Remus counts off what they have done in the past. “But this is still causing unease.”  
“I believe that it’s your fatherly nerves talking, you know that this is a risk worth taking,” Severus says, tracing a finger along Remus’s ear.  
“And yours aren’t?”  
“Oh, they are, trust me on that,” said Severus. “Considering that they have been attending since they were just over three years old, because it was what was recommended and needed. We knew that this was the possible chance to happen.”  
“I’m still not sure about it, Sev,” Remus exhales.  
“Hey,” Severus gets Remus to look at him, “All they’re going to be doing is dancing and acting on a stage in front of other parents and guests. They’re not exactly promoting a blockbuster or a smash hit.”  
“Oh, since you put it that way!” Remus says amused on how devoted Severus was to this whole thing now, compared to how he was when it was first suggested that the girls may fully benefit from going into dancing or acting classes for kids their age.  
While it was a little disheartening that their friends, the Turtles, wouldn’t get the same opportunity as Freya and Athena, the Turtles, (and Apollo) were willing participants in helping the girls develop their skills better, which in turn actually helped their own Ninjitsu skills. Seemed that dancing and, plausible acting, and Ninjitsu went hand in hand.  
Severus was once against the very suggestion of having the inkling chance of having them seen, even by Muggles, though it was Minerva McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey who both recommended it, given the girls seemed to have this energy that needed some containment, or need for some confidence building. But once he saw that the two women were right to have recommended the few selected schools that had minimal chance of the Wizard Ministry, regardless of where the school was located, being able penetrate, and most of seeing how the girls were enjoying it, he warmed to it more and more to where he looking forward to this recital that the girls were both given roles to do.  
Not that they hadn’t had any roles before, but this was the first time Athena and Freya were getting a little more stage time.  
“Yes, well, Alice in Wonderland was one of my favourites growing up,” Severus admits.  
“Who knew you’d be into Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum,” Remus quips, knowing full well he was baiting.  
Severus wasn’t stupid, he knew what his husband was doing, but played right into it anyway, just taking it to his own advantage.  
“Mmm, more into the Mad Hatter than anyone, as he reminds me of a particular, charming, extra talented tea and beverage maker I know too well,” he purrs, kissing deeply and creeping a hand down.  
“Are you saying I’m like the Mad Hatter?” Remus coos in return.  
“Well, you’re certainly not The Queen of Hearts.”  
“No, that’d be more you.”  
“Woo, I’ll teach you a little respect, my dear Hatter!” Severus says with deep amusement, as found his target, Remus let out this soft deep throated sound.  
It had taken a good amount of healing and just as much support to help get Severus to where he was now, the confident man Remus knew was deep and buried within, especially when he remembered this side to him from back in Hogwarts, little bits of him during their time in their cell in EWA and not long after their daughters were born. Somewhere along the way of the fucked up hurdles they’ve faced, that side ebbed away to not being there as much, or at all.  
Remus loved Severus deeply, he knew that he had his lapses, still had the occasional nightmare, but this is what he enjoyed the most. Being playful, taking turns in either being equal, dominate or submissive during their intimate moments, such as now, where Severus had the slightly upper hand at this moment, roughly, yet gently, fondling him.  
Remus also knew how strongly Severus loved and cherished him in return. Rejecting and ignoring any and all suggestions of leaving the man who had helped him so much, truly respected him as a person and gladly shared the equal role of rearing their daughters. Some people in the Wizarding world just didn’t, nor wanted to, understand as to why two completely different men, from just as different Houses, would want to stick with each other. Didn’t matter on whatever rumoured, or factual, reasons on how they became as pair. A belief that Severus could do so much better than the low class, no job keeping ruffian that was Remus Lupin.  
Severus usually didn’t say anything in return, unless he had to. But he did, at times, let his powers do that talking for him. The most funniest was when Lucius Malfoy copped a mysterious rogue snowball to the face when he went to walk away after one particular nasty insult that was delivered toward Remus. Followed by a sudden ambush of even more throw themselves snowballs where Malfoy was near on buried, Severus just turned and walked away, pretending he didn’t notice.  
“Severus,” Remus mutters, as he felt himself being coaxed right on to his back.  
“Mmm? Yes, my dear Hatter?”  
“As much as I want us to continue, my dear Queen,” earning him a slightly extra tighter, but just as endearing squeeze, “we really ought to get up and out of bed and start getting ready.”  
Severus gave this look of, ‘do we have to stop?’ which Remus chuckle, as he shared the similar to same feeling.  
Just then the door burst open, really making the two separate as quickly as possible before either one of their daughters saw what they’ve been up to.  
“Morning Daddy and Dad! Can we have pancakes?” Freya asks, completely oblivious to what she and Athena had just barged in on, as they hurried over to spring on to the bed and hug their fathers.  
“One way to kill the mood,” Severus mutters under breath.  
Remus just pats his husband’s shoulder with some form of amused sympathy.  
“Is everyone else up?” he then asks them.  
“Everyone, except Kimika, she went back to sleep, as she seems to do a lot,” said Athena.  
“Okay, we will be down very shortly. Do make sure you have everything ready for us going to the recital, though,” said Remus.  
“Okay,” said the girls, quickly giving each of their fathers an extra hug before scooting on off the bed and out of the room.  
“Now... where were we?” Severus turns back to instant purr.  
“Get up and out of bed,” Remus laughs, bopping Severus lightly with a pillow.  
“I had to try.”  
“We can play Mad Hatter and Queen of Hearts later, right now we have a pair of Alices who need to get to their recital.”  
Remus was quick off the bed before Severus could get him back, (playfully) for the Queen of Hearts remark.  
“Off with your head!” Severus banters.  
“Go suck on one!”  
That got Severus charging right off and after Remus right into the bathroom, catching up to him, pinning him against the shower wall.  
“If you say so... Mad Hatter!”

###

“Too bad the others couldn’t be here,” Athena says, a little sad in knowing Splinter and the rest couldn’t join the Lupin-Snape family for the girls’ recital at their acting, dancing and music school’s auditorium.  
“You know why they couldn’t. But we know that this is being recorded for the families of the participants to the play... musical... whatever this is meant to be,” said Remus.  
“Musical play?” Severus supplies, shaking his head a little.  
“Uh, there you are!” said the Head Dance Teacher, Ms Yulia Vetrova, comes on over when she saw them entering the prep area of the backstage.  
“We’re not late are we?” Remus asks.  
“No, no, plenty of time to get Freya and Athena ready in their complete costumes and remember what they need to do,” said Ms Vetrova, assuredly, as she and the two fathers allowed a couple of the School assistant teachers to take the girls away to get ready. “No, I needed to have a bit of a word with you in regard to the girls and their continuum within the school.”  
“They’re not in trouble are they?”  
Ms Vetrova shook her head. “No, they’re among a handful of promising students who will be continuing on after this concert recital, that is why I wanted to ask to see whether you might consider allowing us to see have they have any potential in attending auditions for various roles in real commercials, shows or other that may fit their suitability.”  
“But they’ve only just turned five, is that even possible or allowed?” Severus did his best to keep calm on this.  
“You will be amazed on how many children start off as no more than just babies.”  
“We’ll think about it!” Remus speaks up before Severus could comment. “Especially if we have a little more information.”  
Ms Vetrova spoke with full understanding, something two fathers have picked up that this was something she encountered a lot when it comes to promoting the idea of path suggestions for the students of her school. “Of course, it was something that I believe was worth mentioning now to discuss a little later and provide the greater details of the possibilities. There is no pressure, whatsoever, here, I don’t believe in forcing a child into something they may not be comfortable with, but I will always suggest it if there is a chance they might be, your two daughters might have that will, they might not. The decision is ultimately yours, but I do think talking it over with Freya and Athena would be a good idea, those two are a heck smarter than people seem to give them credit for, for a pair of just turned five year olds.”  
The mentioned compliment pleased the two fathers.  
“I’ll let you get to your seats and enjoy the productions, and will see to try and get in a meeting date and time either afterward or tomorrow.”  
“Thank you,” said Remus, encouraging his partner to come along and not start anything that might draw attention.  
“Please tell me you aren’t seriously considering allowing it?” Severus mutters quietly, in French.  
“Right now, I am not going to have us discuss it, as it’ll only get you more worked up than necessary, and we’re yet to learn of the bigger details with Yulia,” Remus replies just as quietly, also in fluent French.  
“But... exposure...?”  
“Again, we can talk about it after this, can we just find our seats and enjoy our daughters’ version of Alice in Wonderland?”  
Thankfully once the show started, Severus was able to be distracted by the whole notion of their daughters’ faces being shown in public. Well... more so than they were now that is.  
While the audience all thought that Alice was being played by the same girl, Remus and Severus knew who was who the moment they stepped out to take over from the other when their double walked off.  
Freya and Athena were identical as ever, but they still had their differences in the eyes and also the shading of their hair now that they’re getting older. Freya still had the darker flecks within her blue eyes, compared to Athena’s amber and violet flecks against blue, (not that one can tell from the audience of course), but the hair, that was the more telling if people knew how to look more closely. Both were darkish blonde, though Athena’s was few shades lighter in the blonde, compared to Freya’s seeming to lean more toward darker.  
However, they were identical wigs, dresses and everything for their shared role as Alice. So, for Severus and Remus, it was simply just knowing who was who, more in the tone and mannerisms of which “Alice” was on stage. Freya had a little bit of a cheek in her stride, especially in the scene with the Mad Hatter and Marsh Hare, where she had the audience laughing with delight ‘accidentally’ pouring the tea on the boy who was playing Mad Hatter, thankfully nothing was in the actual pot, but the concept was enough. Whereas Athena really made people pour their blooming hearts out in the Alice getting upset in the woods scene, where she was lost and wanting to go home.  
When the curtain was closed and the applause came, Freya and Athena hand in hand walked out with the rest of the cast of characters grinning from ear to ear, surprising a number of people who hadn’t caught on that there were two.  
Ms Vetrova ushers the children to the prep area where everyone held it together until that point where excitement over a job well done was felt.  
“We have to celebrate!” said one of the girls, an eight year old who played the White Rabbit. “My parents are holding a big party at their place for everyone who was in the production.”  
“That sounds like fun!” Freya speaks out with enthusiasm.  
But the girl looks at her, smile wiping from her face.  
“You wouldn’t want to go, Freya,” she says.  
“Why not? You said everyone who was in the play!” Freya frowns.  
The girl does her best to be nice. “My family don’t allow people like you to associate with us.”  
“What do you mean people like us?”  
“People who live in sin...”  
“Huh?” Athena now frowns with confusion. “What is sin?”  
“You’re living without a mother, and your so called fathers should be ashamed of themselves for exposing you to the filth they do.”  
Before either twin could respond to this;  
“Christina!”  
“Oh, hi Mother,” ‘Christina’ grins at the sight of her mother.  
The girl’s mother was an ultra skinny woman with the same platinum blonde coloured hair as Christina had walked in and went right over to where the children were.  
“Mother, these are the twins I’ve told you about, Freya and Athena,” she says.  
“The ones who stole your rightful role as Alice, you mean?” Christina’s mother’s piercing eyes goes upon Freya and Athena, who didn’t know what to think or do, feeling rather intimidated, even Freya, who was the more bolder of the pair.  
“We didn’t steal anything,” Athena then says in a quiet tone.  
Christina’s mother shakes her head. “Yulia is losing her marbles for letting Faggots to allow their disgusting sinful bastards into her school.”  
“Mrs Fields? Nice to see you again!” said Ms Vetrova, she had been sidetracked in chatting with one of the stage hands in what needed to be done, so didn’t get to catch any of the words that were said.  
Mrs Fields turns around and sees the Principal and owner, flashing a rather toothy grin.  
“Yulia!” she says pleasantly. “I just came by to pick up Christina and to congratulate you on a job well done!”  
Ms Vetrova blushes a little. “It wasn’t all on me, it was the wonderful talents and hard work of the students of this school. I just help guide them, along with my respected crew of assistants.”  
“And my Christina was a real gem out there, wasn’t she?”  
“She did a very top notch job, yes,” the Principal nods with small agreement. “I can see her being ready for the slightly more advanced classes in a few more months.”  
Mrs Fields didn’t seem to look as though she liked this; “Surely she’s ready for auditions for something more than just given more advanced classes? I mean... I overheard you talking to what are their names? The parents to those two,” flicking a hand toward the still utterly confused twins, “if you can call them parents about moving them on to such an opportunity my Christina should have more qualification and much more deserving?”  
Ms Vetrova does her best to maintain her poise. “I am willing to discuss this at a later time, Delilah,” she says.  
Freya and Athena both lit up when they saw their fathers and rushed right over to them.  
Both their fathers had noticed something was off.  
“What’s wrong?” Severus asks, getting to their level.  
But neither of the two spoke a word, unsure how to even voice what just happened.  
Ms Vetrova goes over to the family of four.  
“Ready to discuss what we spoke about earlier? Or would it be best to schedule a different, more suitable, time?” she asks.  
Remus looks at Severus, wanting him to respond.  
_‘Gee put me on the spot!'_ Severus telepathically sends to his partner, before answering Ms Vetrova. “We can discuss the suggestions you’ve made now if you are able.”  
With that the family of four were led to Ms Vetrova’s office.  
Freya and Athena both saw fingers and eyes pointing and looking at them, not just from Christina and her mother, but from those who were clearly friends with the two.  
“Is everything okay?” Remus asks, seeing that the girls were still standing where they were, not following, he swept over to where they were looking, only to see that none of the fingers were being pointed at them, nor eyes directed at them.  
“I guess...” was all Athena could say, still not understanding why.


	18. Slur

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _**Warning; might be hard for some to read ahead** _

Chapter Eighteen  
Slur

 

For the last three days since the recital, Athena and Freya had been rather quiet. Something had happened, both of their fathers sensed it clear as day, being emotionally connected to a near physical feeling level, and when able, telepathically, but even the girls were too good at times to allow their fathers to see what they’re thinking, unless they had to override, but with reason, respecting their girls, even at age five, to be people worth their own privacy, too.  
Also given that Remus had picked up a pair of extremely unhappy girls from their dance practice class earlier on that third day after the recital – he was where the other parents were meant to be, but he could sense the entire time he was watching them, as much as they were enjoying the dance routine they were given to test out, their mood was becoming something very different, whenever, from what he observed, one of the other children within the class, not all of them, just a small group, got close to either one of them, it seems that they were saying something, but in a way that couldn’t be heard by anyone but Freya or Athena.  
What he also had noticed was that some of the other parents were avoiding him altogether, which was very odd indeed, as before the whole recital, most of them were quite welcoming, at least he thought so, talking and chatting with him, they had met Severus as well, seemed pleasant enough toward him, too, though Severus was not the overly talkative type. Neither of the two fathers spoke of their relationship openly, preferring to stay conservative on the matter, though it was figured out that they were, indeed, a couple.  
A few didn’t avoid him, though, still speaking to him, being that there was another same sex couple among the parents, so it was nice to have a similarity somewhere amongst the group. Didn’t seem to bother the two mothers that there were two fathers, they all had the same interests and that was being there to support their children, case closed.  
However, when Remus turned back to watch his two daughters, he saw just in time to see Freya punching a girl with platinum blonde hair squarely in the nose and shouting;  
“Don’t you ever call my Daddy and Dad that!”  
Before realising what she had done and ran off, Athena following after her.  
“That little bitch just hurt my Christina!” fumed Mrs Fields, then whirled on Remus, who was right out the door before anything could be said to him, because he was more concerned for his own right now... like a normal parent probably would be in this kind of situation.  
Remus quickly found Freya and Athena outside, around the corner upon a bench.  
Athena had her arm around her sister, Freya’s shoulder’s shaking.  
“Freya.”  
They look over to see their father hurrying over to them.  
“I’m sorry, Dad! I didn’t mean to, I just wanted Christina and the others to stop!” Freya cries out before Remus could say a word.  
He squats down to be level with his girls, Freya was rubbing her now reddened eyes, while Athena’s own eyes were starting to turn a little pink, with stray tears falling.  
“What happened?”  
Freya did her best to keep it together to explain; “They kept saying stuff about you... and us... and we didn’t understand what they meant, only that they weren’t nice, we could tell that they weren’t. We tried to ignore it, but... when Christina called you... er...”  
“Called us what?”  
“Filthy boy parts who should die!” Freya didn’t look at him when she said it.  
“That is not all she, and her friends have said,” Athena adds. “Even their parents are involved. Calling a word I don’t really know how to say, but it sounds like it started with an F? Calling us another word that starts with a B.”  
Oh how Remus felt his heart sinking when his two innocent little girls, still very, very young, being exposed to such bigotry.  
“Come here!” he says, pulling them both to him, holding them as tight as his arms would allow. “I am sorry you had to endure that. Is that why you didn’t speak to Daddy or me before?”  
“We didn’t know how to tell you! We didn’t get it ourselves,” said Athena.  
“We also didn’t want to stop coming here! Ms Vetrova is a really, really nice Head teacher and so are the other teachers!” Freya adds.  
“There they are!”  
Remus and the girls look around to see Mrs Fields, with Ms Vetrova, one of the assistant teachers and a couple of the parents... and their children.  
“You! You little brat are going to pay for what you did to my daughter!” Mrs Fields fired.  
Remus stood and placed his daughters behind him, making himself into some form of shield, causing her to stop short and Remus holding his hand up with arm outstretched, for he saw the hand coming toward them.  
Mrs Fields glowers at Remus for stopping her attempt to grab whichever one of the twins hurt Christina, she didn’t care which twin it was, and they both looked the same in her view.  
“Lay a hand on them, I will have you charged with assaulting a minor!”  
“That little brat broke Christina’s nose!” the woman exclaimed she was pointing at Athena, not Freya, then turns to Ms Vetrova. “I want you to have her expelled! May as well do the same for the other one! Feral behaviour, which is what is probably expected from children who weren’t raised in the correct home, with a loving mother!”  
“That is not your call, Delilah,” said Ms Vetrova. “Christina’s nose wasn’t broken, just badly bruised, but you going to take her to the hospital anyway to be sure.”  
“I’m sorry, Ms Vetrova!” Freya speaks up, showing herself a little more. “Christina and her friends said some mean things and... I guess I lost my temper.”  
“What mean things would that be?”  
Remus beat Mrs Fields to the explanation. “Homophobic slurs and telling Freya that Severus and I should be dead. Makes me wonder where they got such nasty thoughts? For my girls didn’t know what some of those words even meant, but they understood the intent behind them. Freya was standing up for herself, it is how we teach our daughters.”  
A different parent pipes up. “What? To punch someone?”  
“Far from it. Even their Martial Arts instructor teaches them to avoid harming another, unless it is really necessary.”  
“You let your daughters do something that is for boys?”  
Remus made a face at this statement. “Do you wish to know how ridiculous you sound right now? Given there are boys in this school for pity sake! Grow up!”  
“I want them to be punished!”  
“Delilah,” Ms Vetrova was finally able to speak over the top and get the attention on to her. “You do know that part of the school policy is to not to bully and harass fellow students, parents and teachers. A few times we did have to separate the children today, now we know why. Such thoughts and beliefs are to stay at home, not to be bought into my school!”  
“Do you not care on what happens to these children?”  
“I care more than how you do, right now, Delilah,” said the Head teacher, crossing her arms, staring pointedly at Mrs Fields. “You knew the policies and rules when you signed up this summer, after you’ve apparently had to transfer Christina for the reasons you gave. Such behaviour is not tolerated within my school. Never has been. Even more since it is the twenty-first century.  
“I will discuss this further with you another time, you need to get Christina to the hospital. I will be happy to discuss her suspension, and that of anyone else involved tomorrow.”  
“Suspension? You can’t suspend someone from dancing! What of those two?”  
“They will be dealt with, but not with you around,” Ms Vetrova was firm in her tone, she gestures Remus and the girls to follow her. “Classes are dismissed for the rest of the day.”

###

“What happened?” was the first thing Severus asked when he saw his family entering the house and instantly feeling the mood.  
He was in the living area, sorting out the first round of classes for the first semester of Hogwarts, with a small glass of single malt scotch whiskey.  
“We’re going to need to have a little sit and chat,” Remus says, scratching behind his ear a little.  
“Why don’t we have a mother?” Freya asks.  
“Oh!” said Severus.  
He and Remus may have been waiting for this to arise, they just weren’t sure how to address the subject.  
“Unfortunately some Muggles seem to be stuck in the darkened days of the thought of two men being together is going to bring down the sky,” Remus said flatly. “A few of the other students and their own parents took such thoughts out on the girls.”  
Severus set down the paperwork on the coffee table and turned his complete attention to the girls.  
“What exactly happened?”  
Athena and Freya looked up at their paternal father.  
“Just tell him exactly what you told me,” said Remus.  
Severus braced himself for what he was going to hear.  
Everything Freya and Athena had told Remus was relayed, only, perhaps because they were in the comfort of their own home, they added the stuff that wasn’t told back at the performing arts school... revealing that it been going on a lot longer than the day of the recital.  
“We didn’t know what they were talking about. Why they were being mean.”  
“Why didn’t you come to us? Or even talk to Master Splinter, pretty sure he’s just as approachable?” Severus asks carefully, he really wanted to go after the parents of these brats who dared to cause disharmony to his kids. He didn’t want them having the same screwed up life he had to lead in his own childhood.  
“We were told of if told on them, that we’d get in trouble,” Athena says.  
Severus shakes his head, even Remus, (who had moved some of the paperwork to sit on the coffee table), exhaled, and rubbed his face with his hands for a split moment on this revelation.  
“Not from us, you wouldn’t, not on this,” Severus tells them, taking their hands in his.  
“But people keep telling us that you stole us from our mother, or that our mother was, well... I don’t know...” Freya cries.  
“We never stole you from anyone,” said Severus, setting himself to say what needed to be said for a very long time. “Truth is, you never had a mother. Not in the traditional sense.”  
“What does traditional mean?” Athena asks.  
“Something that has happens over time, like how people celebrate Christmas, or Hanukkah, or passing down an item to a particular family member,” Remus explains as simple as the girls could understand.  
“We didn’t have a Mum? Then were did we come from?” Freya wanted to know, just as much as her sister did.  
Severus came out with it. “You grew inside of me.”  
“I thought you were a boy,” this confused Athena, and had Freya trying to figure it out.  
“I am. But, something happened to me... and your Dad... that caused us to be able to create you.”  
“How?”  
“Perhaps the full story is more for when you are a little older,” Remus replies. “But you now know of the truth, even if it’s just part of it for now.”  
Severus nods to this, before adding; “Unfortunately, some people will not understand, or refuse to understand, why your Dad and I would rather be together over being what many, both Muggles and even Wizards, call a ‘traditional house hold’. Difference is that Wizards are a heck of a lot more accepting of boys being with boys, or girls being with girls, like they would be with each other. Muggles... while the tides is changing, they still have a fair ways to go in being okay with such relationships.  
“People can be cruel, for many different reasons. Doesn’t mean they ought to stop you from being able to stand your ground and know that your Dad and I have your backs. You also have Splinter, Morrigan and the rest right behind you. You know that you are in a home where people love you and would do what they can to help you.  
“So, please do not keep this sort of thing from us.”  
“But what if people ask?” Athena asks.  
“Tell them it is none of their business,” said Remus simply. “They don’t need to know what you know now. Only the ones who matter, know.”  
“Does Master Splinter knows the truth?”  
Remus and Severus both nod. “Yes.”  
More was discussed on what the girls could do in the future and with knowing rather comfortably that Freya and Athena were in an ease to their feelings over the ordeal. It didn’t stop the hurt yet, but they knew it was to talk to their family about.

###

Days later, Severus was back at Hogwarts working the usual position he’s been at, though he did apply for the Defence Against the Dark Arts for the first time since working there. He wanted to try for it straight away, but Remus did advise to wait a few more years.  
“We both know you love the Dark Arts, Mon Cheri Sev, but sometimes it is best to lull certain people into a certain sense of security and belief that they have you,” he tells him. “Knowing what is really going on, of course.”  
Naturally, Dumbledore refused Severus the desired subject matter.  
“I’m sorry, Severus, but we have no one to take over for Potions class. You’re too valuable to this school to see you teaching the wrong subject,” was the reason he gave. “Unless you would reconsider...”  
Severus just walks out of the office before Dumbledore could finish, knowing exactly what he wanted.  
“There is more of a high chance of fucking Merlin with a cactus before that old coot gets a personal glimpse of our girls!” he says to Remus.  
“Not sure if I wanted that visual in my head, Severus,” says a sympathetic and amused Remus.  
“Fine, there is a high chance of me fucking you with a cactus before that old coot gets a personal glimpse of our girls!”  
“So long as you’re helping to get the spikes out!” Remus calls as Severus goes to leave the room.  
“I’ll remove the spikes before inserting!”  
“What are you going to do to Dad with a cactus?” asks the voice Freya.  
They certainly weren’t counting on Freya being upstairs when those words transpired. Remus’s sides hurt from laughing into the pillow, leaving Severus to come up with some nice way to get out of the fact that he and Remus were talking dirty.  
Remus continued to take their girls to their performing arts school, as it was their wish to keep going, especially when Ms Vetrova was on their side over the whole incident, standing strongly on her stance on her policies and rules, though some of the parents did try to threaten court action or whatever they were happy to throw their big money at to get their way, which had no effect in causing the Principal to budge.  
Instead the main focus was helping to get the students, who were more interested in actually doing their classes, to prepare as best to their abilities and talents; having them be ready for any projects, work, or even just fun.  
Christina and her mother returned after the suspension was lifted; they had the longest amount of days away compared to their co-conspirators got. Accompanying them was a tall bulk of a man; Christina’s father, Mr Fields.  
The first few days nothing really transpired, but Remus could sense that this family were going to try and start something. Not to mention the slurs directed toward Remus, which the wizard just rolls his eyes, but the insults directed at Freya and Athena, however, those were met with frowns of disapproval, but he didn’t rise to the bait... not entirely, that is. As mysterious things kept happening to the two ring leaders, a handful of times, it was their supporters. Such as their nice cars being bogged in mud that clearly wasn’t there before, or a mudpie to the over nice clothes they wore, nothing dangerous, Remus refused to use his fire powers for example, but enough to make the Fields and their friends wonder and become increasingly paranoid. The children were never targeted, Remus was strongly against such action... unless there was some drastic reason to.  
Then one day, Severus was the one who took the girls, instead of Remus. He didn’t get to see the girls during their rehearsals or whatever it they did within the school as often as Remus did, being away teaching at Hogwarts, Dumbledore making it any excuse to be a pain in the rear end in finding any reason to have Severus change his mind in bringing the children to Hogwarts, even for a day visit. Whenever the Headmaster didn’t get his wish, he’d find a way to try and keep Severus behind, be it extra patrol duties or some petty excuse. McGonagall and Pomfrey always had his back in these moments and this was one of those times where he desperately needed and wanted to be with his daughters.  
It also allowed Remus to have some downtime.  
Upon reaching the school, Severus noticed right off that something wasn’t settling right. Remus did mention that the usual suspects weren’t doing anything, other than slurs, but he did get the feeling and to make Severus aware.  
Going on as normal, not giving off anything, Severus simply took Freya and Athena to one of the studios they were allocated to be in to they could prep themselves up. Upon this, Ms Vetrova walks up with a large smile, after the girls walked away to do warm ups.  
“I have some exciting news to share to you about your girls,” she says. “Is Remus here?”  
“No, he’s at home, resting.”  
“Is he okay?”  
“Yes, just having a timeout.”  
“Oh, good to know.”  
“So, what is this exciting news?”  
“I had hoped to tell you both, but I believe you’ll tell Remus when you see him. The audition for the new television show that Freya and Athena applied for, they got accepted!” Ms Vetrova says.  
This was good news!  
Severus did smile at this. “Does Freya and Athena know?”  
“Not yet, wanted to wait until after today’s lessons, so they don’t get distracted.”  
Severus saw the point and nodded.  
“I will make sure that I have all the details given to you before you go, I have a few checks and such to do, but everything is looking very promising on everything,” the Principal adds.  
“Thank you,” said Severus.  
“I’ll let you get to the spectators’ area, discuss more later.”  
“Of course, and thank you again.”  
Ms Vetrova turns to start the class, while Severus walks away to where he had to be.  
“Heard your little brats got a spot on a new television show they’re starting up. Hope they realise they’ve made a huge mistake on investing in bastard children of faggots,” said Mr Fields, he was taller than Severus and... in Severus’s mind fat... definitely someone who liked to use his size to intimidate people, especially where his Precious Princess and wife were concerned.  
Severus didn’t respond, taking a small leaf out of Remus’s book, and simply went over to the window, intending to watch his daughters.  
“I’ve always wondered...” Mr Fields goes to say. “Which one of you is the wife? I mean... we’ve both seen the rings on your fingers... clearly married in some country that allows such disgusting acts, as it’s not legal here... as far as I know, and I hope those politicians don’t ever go that way, because that would just ruin one of the many good things we’ve got here, the wonderful normal sanctity of marriage between man and woman. But... one of you must be the woman, right?  
“Been asking your partner, what’s his name?”  
“Remus,” some other parents replies.  
“That’s it. But he just wouldn’t answer, seems think we aren’t privy to such knowledge. I mean, our kids all come to this school, why not share a few insights? There is no secret that my wife was a former beauty queen, model and I’m a bit of a sugar daddy with the sixteen year age difference... or that Bonnie is, while is definitely the wife, she has more balls than Nate, but Nate likes that in a woman. Normal, really. At least they’re a legit marriage.  
“So, what about you and your faggot? Which one of you is the bitch who likes to get their arse poked?” Mr Fields baits.  
Severus was now wondering exactly just how much Remus had been copping from this windbag.  
_‘Mon Cheri Mad Hatter Remus, you definitely have the patience of a saint,’_ he thinks to himself, for he could feel his fingers doing their best to not form knuckles.  
“So... what about your daughters?”  
His ears perked a little, hairs on the back of his neck standing up, Severus continued to just keep his eyes on his two little girls. Both pulling off perfect routines, or near perfect, as Athena was having trouble with a few of the turns and was increasingly getting disheartened by this, until Freya and one of the other students went alongside her, and guided her as best as they could before an assistant teacher came by for further help.  
He sees Christina slipping out of the room, along with a few of her friends, he didn’t think much of it.  
“How do they cope watching you do it? I mean, that’s what faggots do right? Get off in front of children?”  
“Sounds more like that is what you would do, as you’re the one who mentions such a crude suggestion based on ignorant assumptions and lack of facts,” Severus turns his dark piercing eyes upon the larger man standing not far from him.  
Almost uncanny in the similarities on the way this looked from his point of view, seeing this ring leader, his wife and their band... not to mention the bystanders saying nothing. How... memorising for him...  
A flash went across Mr Fields’s eyes.  
“I also recall that the policies and rules of this school prohibit such display you’re showing to me, right now,” Severus adds.  
“Well, well, this one is a talker,” said one of the other parents.  
“And insulting my husband!” Mrs Fields speaks indignantly.  
“Pot calling kettle black aren’t we?” Severus tilts his head, now fully looking at them, not seeing the students leaving the studio.  
Before another word was exchanged a loud pair of screams rang out.  
Severus’s heart dropped, knowing exactly who they belonged to. He hurried out of the waiting area and down to just outside the change room, where he was met with Ms Vetrova, and two extremely distraught daughters, seeming to know he was going to arrive, while the assistance were filing the girls all out of the area.  
“ _ **Daddy!**_ ” they cried, launching themselves to him, his arms pulls them close.  
“What happened?”  
But the girls were too panic-stricken to speak  
“That is why I am here, this is something you need to see for yourself,” Ms Vetrova was rather pale, very apologetic, laced with quiet lividness.  
“Can you wait with Katia?” Severus gently asks his daughters. “So I can see how I can help you, okay?”  
With nods of their heads, Athena and Freya both took Katia’s hands, so he could follow Ms Vetrova into the change room.  
Immediately his jaw dropped upon the visual he walked in on. Sprawled in red lettering on the twins’ lockers were the words; _‘This is what happens to faggots and their bastards’_. On either side of the words were two dead full grown rabbits, hanging from rope, with blood between their little back legs, on the floor were the dismembered male parts of the rabbits... and a pair of baby rabbits, with their bodies broken and bleeding... fighting for life...  
He recalled seeing this little girl, with platinum blonde hair, and a couple of her friends, giggling, while the other girls were crying, panicked and wanting their mummies and daddies.  
“Do you know who did this? Or how they pulled this off?” Severus asks the Principal.  
Ms Vetrova shakes her head. “Unfortunately, as far as I was aware, everyone were in their lessons. Except for those who required the bathroom for whatever the reasons were. That is where we will be starting. But our best promise will be the surveillance cameras we have. Not within the change rooms, for obvious reasons, but along the hallway, get a time lapse of what happened.  
“I am just as sickened by this. I have my suspects, but I cannot prove anything until evidence. This may mean the police will like be involved, as this is very serious and something that needs to be bought to their attention. I would also recommend getting your daughters seen to by a counsellor or psychologist who specialise in children.  
“I will also inform Minerva McGonagall of what has happened, catch her up if she wishes to talk to you about it.”  
This took Severus by surprise, not expecting that.  
A hint of a smile beneath the dread of the situation formed on Ms Vetrova’s lips.  
“I am very well aware of you and Remus, Severus Snape, your story and that of your girls. Well, obviously not everything, but enough to know that doing what is needed to ensure the girls’ and your safety was paramount. A select few of us schools that were recommended to you were handpicked because McGonagall knew who would be more interested in the welfare of people for legit reasons, not for the reasons of others.  
“Sadly, some Muggles are a little difficult to keep a lid on, with some of their beliefs. Not that different from the wizarding world when you think about it, when it comes to belief systems. Thing is, this does need to be bought to Muggle police attention, not sure whether or not this would be leaked out to the press.  
“In the meantime, I will let you take the girls home, if you are needed, I will know how to reach you.”  
Severus took one last look at the gruesome sight.  
Anger was just simmering under his skin...

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Sad, but unfortunate truth is, there are people would do this sort of thing. Including young children. I am not quite sure how they would have really pulled it off, in all honesty, but I just knew that these people, the Fields and their posse were to depict the sort of people that would such a disgraceful thing.  
>  I think I may have stretched it a little though : - /_


	19. Moving Forward

Chapter Nineteen  
Moving Forward

 

Oh how the media went into frenzy over the scandal over what had happened at the Horizons School of Performing and Fine Arts.  
While certain people were able to be remained anonymous; predominantly the family that was the target of the hate crime, for they declined to be interviewed, and Ms Vetrova refused to give any names of those who were innocent and didn’t want to be named.  
Unfortunately, some took this opportunity to try and use it to their own agendas, cover up what had happened... that was until a certain things started happening that scared the people straight into the belief that if they didn’t speak the truth, they would face the wrath of some vengeful demon or whatever it was that found them and explained that they were the protective guards of the people they were targeting, including the school and if they didn’t stop, they’d regret it.  
The Fields family were foolish to not believe that anything would happen. No harm came to them, certainly not the 8 year old daughter of the old time famous beauty queen Delilah Fields, (nee Colbert) and millionaire tycoon Curtis Fields. But, after complimentary wine for the parents of the little girl... oh how the beans spilled on what they had done... without naming who they were targeting, (a small touch of Severus Snape’s ability to not just brew the truth potion, but tweak it with his own special magic of old).  
Disgraced and found out... in more than just the hate crime and animal cruelty, but so, so much more...  
It wasn’t as though Remus and Severus hadn’t gone back and forth over the actions they had done, they ensured no true harm came from their own hand, but done enough to blow the entire attention away from them, and on to the people who should have known better than to mess with a pair of mutated wizarding gods, and their children. Not that the Muggles had any clue whatsoever that is what they were even dealing with.  
Helping Freya and Athena come to terms over what had even happened, getting through the process of seeing those rabbits the way they had, that did take a good amount of work. Roping in the help of everyone, from Splinter and his family to McGonagall and Pomfrey, in order to get them to cope.  
Both of them were now in belief that someone was going to kill their fathers and do nasty things to them... and hurt them in order to suffer. If only they knew what their fathers had been through, in time they would, making the visual of the rabbits tame compared to what Remus and Severus dealt with, but they weren’t going to tell them that; they were both extremely disgusted by the way the animals were treated, and this coming from a werewolf and a man who deals with different animal parts for potions, but even then, there was a strong difference between cruelty and humane.  
It put a small delay in starting their new roles they had successfully received, but Ms Vetrova ensured that they weren’t to worry.  
“The focus is the girls and their mindset. Putting them into such an environment that may not be helpful for them isn’t a good idea. I’d rather the show not go ahead than for them to have a breakdown,” she tells them.  
It was perhaps a full month before Freya and Athena were able to step into the change room, they weren’t the only ones, for many of the girls just didn’t want to go in there. So it got to where remodelling and revamping was perhaps the way to go, including the girls in the process to decide what could be changed and added, within reason. It worked.  
Recovery from the experience did take its time, the positive was that, even with having to change the layout of the girls’ change room and a number of other changes, such as making sure policies and rules were met and understood and followed to ensure something like that would never happen again, students that were going to the school continued to attend. The ones who were in support of Yulia Vetrova’s support that was. She did lose a few of the students, seemed that their parents apparently either agreed with the Fields had to say, but were discreet about it, or they just couldn’t bring themselves to continue after the event. Whatever the reasons, the negative was perhaps shorter lived that first thought.  
Soon, Remus and Severus were able to convince their daughters, after long talks and whatever was needed, to start the process of their roles within the new show they were to be in.  
Once they were in the studio and shown around and so on, even spoken to about the possibility of them ever needing to talk and have a mental break, as they were still dealing with what they had seen and introduced to, they were welcome to it.  
“No one is forced to hide their feelings on this set,” said the Director.  
This certainly placed many minds at ease.

###

Remus heard the shower being turned on when he entered his and Severus’s room. It was now nearing the end of October, things had calmed down significantly since the whole homophobic issue and what had transpired, plus the girls were doing very, very well with what they were doing. Adapting very well to it.  
Severus had come home because he felt he had to be home, away from the stresses of Hogwarts. Remus had a feeling that it went deeper than just that, but knew not to press it, he knew the situation that was going on, had since the beginning and the anxiety that was building around it.  
Right now, because of strict conditions that had been drawn up in regarding Freya and Athena and how the handling of their time was to be issued, the girls were given a few days off from the set, this allowed them to be with Splinter, Morrigan and the rest in New York, allowing the two fathers to have some much needed quality time.  
Severus and Remus do it for Splinter and Morrigan, as well, so it was a matter of taking turns, plus keeping in mind of certain periods where it was important that either set took the other’s children, including Kimika at least twice.  
Deciding to let Severus enjoy the solitude, Remus just slips on to the bed, curling his arms around the pillow and resting his head on it. He was completely relaxed, that was until he heard a rather suppressed grunt, as though trying to not be too loud; with instinct, Remus quietly moves off the bed and goes to the opened bathroom door – they rarely ever close it anyway when it came to showers, sort of like a message that they were welcome to join the other if they wanted to... or in this case needed to.  
Remus entered and saw his partner stuck on the floor, with tears rolling quietly down.  
“Sev?”  
When he moved closer, he saw straight away, the blood seeping slightly, Remus didn’t hesitate in grabbing a towel and kneeling down in front of Severus.  
“Am I allowed to check to see how far along?” he asks sensitively.  
Severus just nods, before gritting his teeth with pain.  
Remus carefully and cautiously brings his hands closer and shifts Severus’s scrotum just enough to see that his opening had started to open up and was letting out a mix of blood and amniotic fluid coming out of it.  
“Why didn’t you call out?”  
Severus did his best to speak between the pain; “I thought it was nothing at first, at least I hoped it was nothing, just a small twinge. That’s why I came here... needing to be with water... then... this happened. It’s been a long time since I’ve gotten this far in a pregnancy, and keeping it hidden on top of that. I didn’t want to alarm you, I was just hoping it would stop.”  
Exhaling a heavy sigh, Remus leans over, placing a hand on the back of his partner’s head and plants a deep firm kiss on his forehead.  
“I have a feeling that this is the real deal, Mon Cheri. Remember what Serket and Porthos had told us, that your normal gestation period is likely to be between six to seven months, significantly different to a normal human’s nine month period. You got to being two weeks shy from when you were with the girls, even I will admit it’s a lot further than we had counted on,” he says.  
“I’m worried, Remus,” said Severus, before gritting his teeth, trying his best to not be loud with the rolling feeling of intense tightening that was coming and going in waves. “Especially after the last few times.”  
Remus looked at Severus dead in the eye. “Whatever happens, you know we will get through. I am here. But I am going to need to get in touch with Serket, Porthos and see if Pomfrey is available, as agreed.”  
Severus knew what had to be done.  
“I’m just going to wait here,” he says, trying to be a little witty.  
Remus was fast in getting word to where it was needed and grabbing the extra things that was needed, before returning to Severus, who was just coming out of another contraction, and shifting a little to get comfortable, and bring some gravity to help ‘ease’ the babies out.  
While there had been some potions and changes to help Severus be able to cap how many catch and grow, especially after the ordeal of having those eight at once in those varying stages never forgotten, it didn’t really stop the eggs from splitting into multiples. It was how Freya and Athena and their two lost sisters came to be. Though their eyes and hair colours became different over time, they were still from the exact same egg, as were Brigid and Kali, four babies, same egg. Even that had Serket and the others who’ve been working close with the family to keep the girls healthy and informing them of what may come along at each stage of their lives. But whatever the explanation, it didn’t seem to fully matter on how they came to be, only that they are, indeed, growing up as normal as possible.  
In this case, even with the capped of four maximum, seeing that seems to be the ‘comfortable’ number Severus was able to carry, even though that was his first pregnancy, they were only expecting the one.  
Ever since the start of this ordeal, the men had done everything they could to keep a lid on what was happening. Only allowing a certain number to know. They only let their own daughters find out because of the stuff that had happened back in late August, and they figured that their daughters had the right to know that they were expecting a little sibling; adding as to why Daddy didn’t ‘look’ like he was pregnant, but it explained why he was extra careful all the time for the past number of months, and why they couldn’t really tell anyone.  
“Would you like me to check?” Remus asks.  
Severus just nods, unable to verbally speak, stuck on his knees, with his hands clinging to the railing that had been installed in the shower a couple of years back.  
Not caring about his already wet clothing, Remus moved in a way so he had a better view and carefully, delicately checked just the outer, he wasn’t going to place any fingers in there. He didn’t need to.  
“Okay, um... Severus, you’re going to need to slow down the breathing, and ease into the exhales to help guide the baby down, I can just see a slither of the head starting to appear,” he was calm. Just like he was when he helped Serket guide their first four out, exactly the same when he couldn’t get Serket and Porthos in time, when Severus delivered much too early during their second attempt in trying for another, the other two, (that happened on either side ended not long after they started, just as Severus was getting the hang of the pregnancy to be devastated by the loss).  
This was their fourth attempt and so far seemed all promising. But, Remus still didn’t blame Severus from being anxious.  
It was hard for Severus to suppress the sounds he was making, until he felt the burning feeling coursing through, he sort of stopped in them, but made this nearly choked like sound, as he concentrated on what he was naturally able to do.  
“That’s it, just do what you’re doing, but easy as can go,” Severus heard the composed tones of tenderness his husband was speaking.  
Remus ignored that his shoulder was starting to ache from the angle he had to place himself in, his eyes on this truffle of hair upon the tiny head that was being pushed on through the widening slit, until he saw the head just pop right out.  
“Head is out, nearly there, Severus.”  
Once the shoulders were out, the rest of the newborn just slide out, right into Remus’s awaiting guiding hands. A sudden squawk rang from the newborn’s lungs. Remus could see his partner’s body go into a relief upon hearing what he wanted to hear. Carefully, Remus moved and guided their newborn through Severus’s legs, so Severus could see for himself.  
“We have a son, Severus,” Remus’s soft tone was laced with instant joy and relief.  
Severus looks down and sees this small bluish whitish grey, slowly starting to go pink, newborn. Tentatively at first, unsure whether to believe this was real, Severus reached down to gently touch him, stroking his little head, before, (with help from Remus), easing to sit upon the tiled floor, leaning against the wall, and taking the babe into his arms; inspecting him like any new parent did as soon as their offspring came out of them, wanting to be sure.  
Ten tiny fingers, ten just as teeny toes, evidence that this brand new boy was of both him and of Remus, with the mix of light to dark hair, very similar to that of Freya and Athena, his nose was straight, no hint of a hook, but when Severus saw, just for a moment, the eyes opening to ‘see’, that he would have dark eyes, like him. He didn’t have Severus’s gills, however, but Severus didn’t mind, he knew Remus wouldn’t either, to him he sensed that he was strong, something he should have listened when it came to his own body, but with so many failed pregnancies, he thought it was simply a false sense of security that he could ever possibly pull off another successful pregnancy and birth.  
Remus shut off the shower, wrapping a warmed up towel around Severus and another around their new son, and sat with them, one arm around his partner, the other around his partner’s arms to embrace the precious bundle.  
“You did splendidly, Mon Cheri,” Remus says, kissing Severus’s temple and cheek three times, before Severus just places his head on his shoulder.  
“Remus?” a voice calls.  
“In here, Serket!” Remus replies.  
Serket finds them quickly enough, followed by Porthos and Madam Pomfrey.  
“Looks like someone wasn’t going to wait for us to make their entry,” says Madam Pomfrey with adoring amusement at this teeny little baby boy in Severus’s protective arms.  
“Has the cord been cut yet?” Serket asks, going over and setting her kit down and getting on with what needed to be done.  
“No, not yet,” said Remus.  
“And I see that you hadn’t passed the placenta yet?”  
Severus shakes his head.  
“Okay, first the cord,” said Serket, not wasting time.  
Once the cord was cut, Severus was given a potion to help the placenta out of him and prevent heavy blood loss, especially if there is a risk of haemorrhaging; which is something Severus experienced when they lost their baby at nineteen weeks, (female equivalent to twenty-two to twenty-three weeks, give or take).  
Remus was given their new son, so Severus was able to cooperate with Serket better, and Remus was able to oversee Porthos and Madam Pomfrey with examining the newborn.  
It felt like a little time warp by the time Severus was dressed and in bed, cradling his new baby once more. Remus helped by filling in the paperwork for the birth certificate and the same documents they used upon their daughters, to bring him into the same protection binding spells and so on.  
“Have you got a name picked out?” Madam Pomfrey asks.  
“Honestly hadn’t put much thought into names,” Severus admits, not taking his eyes off of his son, guzzling down his first feed from the bottle of specially made formula that was instinctually made before he was born, much like the same way Severus was before the birth of their daughters, he knew he wasn’t going to be able to lactate, even with the ability to bear children, so via some sense of knowing, he started brewing the much needed nutrients required. This one, seemed to be a little different to the one Freya and Athena needed, sheer luck they were able to sustain on the goat’s milk Splinter had to give them, once upon a time, years ago, to keep them alive.  
“Well, these don’t need to be finalised until tomorrow, as not all parents can think of names straight away, or agree. So long as it is within the twenty-four hours of starting the process of signing and documenting,” Madam Pomfrey tells them, understandably.  
“In the meantime, we will leave you three alone to settle,” said Serket, after she made sure everything she bought – well that was able to be – was packed and sorted.  
“Thank you,” said Remus.  
“We can see ourselves out,” said Porthos.  
The three medics left the room, as Remus went over and placed himself beside Severus, a gentle hand upon the newborn’s head, peering upon him, a look of smitten upon his face.  
“I think Freya’s request on having a little brother just got fulfilled,” he says.  
Severus lets out a small laugh, as he takes the bottle away from the babe’s mouth and sets it on the bedside table.  
“How you feeling?” Remus asks.  
“Probably more sore than Merlin with a cactus right now,” said Severus.  
“You and your strange affiliation with cacti,” Remus laughs.  
“Well, it’s better than a chainsaw.”  
“Brutal.”  
“Here,” Severus then said, gently passing their son to his husband.  
Just like it was yesterday with their daughters, Remus felt the wave again, holding this precious little bundle to him, able to have a better acquaintance.  
The babe made a small gurgle like sound and whimpered, before settling, opening his tiny eyes, looking up at Remus before closing them again. Remus took his teeny hand, holding it delicately between his thumb and forefinger.  
“Shall we go through lists of name to find his?” he then says to Severus.  
Severus’s gaze was still on the newborn. “There have only been four names I’ve ever truly liked if ever a son came into my life. Though back then, the thought of fatherhood wasn’t something I wanted to really venture into. Obviously circumstances changed all of that.”  
“What would those names be?”  
“Xavier, Daniel, Christian and Julian,” Severus replies. “The idea of using at least one of those if the girls had of been boys was there. But obviously with only girls, they weren’t going to be used. Even the female versions, they weren’t going to flow. What of you?”  
“Me? Shaun and Connor seemed to be more to my taste, along with Riley.”  
“Irish names, huh?”  
Remus nods and smiles a little; “Mostly. Plus Shaun is the Irish variation to John, so... nice little bias I guess, being John is a family name on my mother’s side, but having that nice twist draw me toward it.”  
“Guess I am not the only one with desired name outcomes for sons.”  
Remus shakes his head. “No. Difference I guess was that I actually did dream of children, but, didn’t believe it was going to happen, for obvious reasons.”  
“Funny how things work out,” says Severus.  
“True to that.”  
After a few moments of silence, Remus then said; “I believe Christian Shaun would be a nice fit. What say you, Daddy?”  
Severus gave his nod of approval.  
Christian Shaun Lupin-Snape, born 12:43pm, 29 October.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Yes, this may seem to have come right out of nowhere, but I can assure that this was actually very well planned. The whole idea was to make sure that no-one, except for the very tight few, knew what was actually going on, until that very moment within this chapter as you have just read. The idea was that not even you, the audience was to be aware of the new addition, because of the secrecy that Remus and Severus had surrounded themselves with._


	20. Magic of Old

Chapter Twenty  
Magic of Old

 

“The information you’ve requested are all right here, Master Shredder,” spoke a large giant of a man with long blond ponytail and sporting tattoos; one of a large purple coloured dragon spiralling around one arm and a red three pronged flame enclosed in a ring on the other, and sporting decent sized scarring on the side of his face.  
A sleek, elegant man of Japanese descent with dashing high cheekbones and tremendous physique looks up from the work he was doing at his desk. His name was Oroku Saki, but many refer him by another title; Master Shredder.  
He was the top dog in a clan known as the Foot. He was also very highly connected deeply in various companies and such who agree to do his bidding.  
“Uh... excellent work Hun,” he said, voice as smooth as silk, and very pleased indeed, taking the box from Hun’s hands, and setting it on his desk, opening it straight away with delight. “What of our dealings with Dr Stockman? How is the progress coming along?”  
“Dealings are going well, as far I have been informed. If it is okay for me to ask, Master, why are you so interested in this? I mean, I thought this whole thing called magic was stuff for children and the simple minded fools,” Hun speaks, going from slight dislike over the name of ‘Stockman’ to genuine curious over the thought of magic.  
Shredder was flipping through one of the documents, checking it over. Hun saw a picture of two men, one with black shoulder length hair and a hooked nose, the other had shorter light brown hair and plenty of old scarring over his body, it appeared many of the newer injuries he’d received were healing rather quickly, judging just from the single photo alone. They were both stark naked, in a cell, in a compromising position.  
“Porn?” Hun blurted.  
“No, Hun,” Shredder snips, annoyed that his henchman would go straight to something so primitive as that! “No, these two, Severin and Roman, real names Severus Tobias Snape and Remus John Lupin, were given to the people who were once party to the old company known as EWATGRI, before they disbanded due to many reasons that caused them to sell it out of fear and needing to cover it up. Splitting the two. One part going to Dr Baxter Stockman, after making deals with me to secure a nice generous portion of it, changing it to Stockman Enterprises. You were still new to the scene, Hun, so do forgive me for not disclosing it until now. I have to make sure I know who is worthy of such information and details and all that goes with it.  
“We know that the rest of it went to my enemies, but I am uncertain in knowing exactly what name they changed the company to, as so many had cropped up roughly at the same time, old businesses crashing, making way for those with the coin to rise up from the ashes to remodel and reattach. We know my enemies are illusive and secretive... I guess I have to admire such commitment, for I, too, am very much the same. Only, I hide in the open, as well as in the Shadows.  
“These two from what I have been told, were the only two to be successfully mutated and surviving their transformations. During this process, it was discovered that one had a very old suppressed gene that had been so long forgotten, one where a male is able to bear children, very much like a woman.”  
Hun makes a combined face of disgust, shock and unsure what to make of what he just heard, let alone what he was seeing within the photos. Shredder was only skimming over them, not really looking at the positions these two men were in, he was more interested in what clues he could find in them. From one of the men’s shimmering scales, to the other man with scars was rather dominating toward the one with the scales. But, he also noted that the man with the scales was just as dominating over the one with the many scars. Seeing their eyes, one had amber flashing against blue, and the other darkened pair was showing flecks of violet if one took the time to really notice... and what seemed to be the starts of a transformation from them both, the photos seemed to have stopped after that, but Shredder figured that they may be within the box.  
Shredder did notice the expression on his henchman’s face.  
“Are you going to use that backwards thinking, Hun? Or are you going to grow up and open your mind a little?” he growls a little.  
Hun snaps into a neutral appearance. “My apologies, Master. Such information is rather... not something I am used to. It is a lot to take in.”  
“Unsurprising with your sort of background. But if you’re going to continue to work for me and be loyal, I strongly suggest you understand that not everything is as what many of these non magical folk would think.  
“Wizards are every bit as real. These two, after much tracing of their bloodlines from the people I am connected with, are of what is known as the magic of the old. Mythologies throughout the ages, some turning into the religions of the world today, all sprang from the almighty powers of the gods, where the original wizards came from, even many of the non-magical, though their powers were bred out over time, but not completely, as it does crop up still.  
“The knowledge of all of this became forgotten. Except for those who continued to pass down what should have stayed within public knowledge. Especially when the non-magical started their uprising in the Western Societies back during the Middle Ages, where science was feared and frowned upon, rendering them utterly stupid and ignorant. Some are still fearful of what should have stayed worshipped and respected since the dawn of Ra, Osiris, Anubis and so one to lead the way to Greece, Rome, and following on. Perhaps even before the ancient Egyptian times, who knows. Even many of the influence had been in Asia, the similarities are there, though different, just like any culture, I suppose.”  
Hun was confused and trying to be patient, trying to understand what his Master was even on about. “What does this have to do with two dudes apparently enjoying their arses poked? You said one of them can have kids like a girl.”  
“Women, Hun, women. Girls are children, until they have their first bleed, then they are women, but many societies don’t see them as such until they are of a certain age, the whole changing of the times.  
“As for how this has to do with these two, once upon a time, some men were able to bear children, just like women. These were the pure gods, the ones who were powerful to extremes and could master many powers and hold reign, creating mountains, oceans and so on... Perhaps where the Christians got their belief of Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden, so many theories to ponder on such things.  
“Over time, just as the pure gods were starting to ‘die out’ as many put it, the ability for these certain men was lost. Though the gene was always there for some, just waiting to be reawakened to get back to what was part of their heritage.”  
“Why?”  
“Because it was these certain men that bore armies of powerful gods and goddesses. While the women were able to do the same, bearing powerful beings, they weren’t the sort to bring forth armies. No one knows why, it was just the way it was and it was the normal back then, why question it was perhaps the way it once was, compared to now.  
“These armies were super soldiers, loyal to whomever they deemed worthy via their own intuition, unless they were given to a master within the first few months of infancy, where their Master oversees their upbringing to become part of his elite, then that god or goddess is loyal to their Master and their Master alone, no matter how much swaying that might be placed upon them.  
“The other thing about those who have magic of the old within their veins, is that they are known to live to a very old age. They’re known to keep their youthful appearance, unless they choose to age, meaning they could live to one hundred, and still look like a young man of twenty-five years of age, without anyone being the wiser. Known as living fountains of youth, as there is just something within their blood that keeps them that way.”  
“So they are immortal?”  
“In many ways, yes, other ways, no,” said Shredder, thinking this was a fair question to be asked by Hun, seeing that the wheels were turning in his thick blond headed skull. “Just because one can live a very long life, doesn’t mean they cannot be killed. They just happen to have stronger genetics and ability to heal and survive, even the most grilling of tests, as you can see for yourself in these two photos of Severin and Roman being put through their most toughest and grilling test the EWA had put them in. Most didn’t make it through that stage of their adaption to becoming the gods they were meant to be, if things hadn’t of changed so many centuries to a near millennia ago.  
“The final test was always to get a successful mating to occur to start pregnancy. Once pregnant, that is when they will find out just how strong their suppressed genetics were in allowing it to happen. Again, not one has survived that process... until one of these two successfully did just that.  
“Unfortunately, due to the havoc that happened a few years ago when one of Stockman’s facilities was burned down and information completely wiped. Erasing every detail of which one it was between them who was the successful bearer. The people who were there had their memories destroyed so they couldn’t or wouldn’t remember a thing. Only that the partner of the one they were able to retrieve got the one they had out of there, with help. I have not been able to find out who rescued who, as my informants were either threatened into silence over it, or any attempt to send such word has failed, I only know that one of these men is working for one of my closest informant to try and keep tabs on this family. Problem is, every time I get his updates, it is very clear that they’ve all be intercepted, because there is a spell blocking various sections, making it difficult to understand at times.  
“I know full well that Albus Dumbledore is more powerful than I, so I do not dare tempt to wield the same power like I do toward someone like Stockman for instance, plus we did make a deal that is very binding and cannot be broken, so I am not stupid enough to tempt fate and destroy whatever trust we’ve built.”  
“Who is this Albus Dumbledore?”  
“Headmaster of a school for Witches and Wizards, and seen as a great guiding influence to many,” said Shredder. “He heard of me by chance, sought me out and made me an offer that was, and still is, very promising to help expand the Foot Empire and help Albus with his own agenda.”  
“And it all rests on these two?”  
“Yes. Especially with the fact that there are two living and breathing goddesses walking around, proof that it can be done, and trying to seek out more men exactly like whichever one was able to bring forth armies to do as they’re commanded virtually from the moment they can walk... at least that is how they were once depicted, I believe that, like many infants and small children, it would take a few years before being able to cause a whirlwind or a firestorm.”  
Hun could see just how important this was to his Master. He still didn’t get it, but if Shredder believed in this, so he best to get on board with it, too. No matter how weird it seemed.  
“Is there anything I can do, or take orders to, in this matter, Master?” he then asks.  
Shredder shakes his head. “Not at this moment. Only to see that everything on this bought to me. This may be one whole box, but there is a possible chance there is more. Find them if you can.”  
“Right away Master, Shredder...”

End of Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _I always knew that this was to be split into two or three parts._  
>  The hope is to have the storyline, now that Shredder and Hun are now introduced more formally, that the two worlds will have more even footing, compared to this part one, where it was mainly focusing on Severus and Remus and their little family.  
>  The other is so much that is yet to be written and explained and in due time it will.  
>  I hope that you have enjoyed Part One of Beyond the Depths of Truth.  
>  Be on the lookout for Part Two Beyond the Depths of Power. (Title maybe set to change so please be advised). 


End file.
